God what were purgatory promoted thereby Forsoth then of necessitie it must be induced that some parte of these sufferinges are aunswerable in the next worlde to come what necessitie call you this euen such as he suffereth which being bounde hande and foote with a strawe can not steare to helpe him selfe But lette vs see this adamantine chayne of Maister Allens necessity If any punishment remayne it must needes ryse by proportion weyght continuaunce number and quantity which if it be not all discharged in this lyfe then it is to be aunswered in the lyfe to come By proportion Maister Allen What proportion Arithmeticall or Geometricall If it be by arithmeticall proportion then so many thousandes of sinnes whereof euery one deserueth one death must be punished by so many thousand deathes If by geometricall proportion then so many offences committed against that infinite maiesty can not be aunswered but by infinite and eternal punishment and which way so euer you take it by weight number time or measure it is euident that while you seeke for purgatory you haue founde out hell For otherwise saith the spirite of God in the person of the faithfull He hath not dealt with vs according to our sinnes neither rewarded vs after our iniquities Psal. 103. But as heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercy as a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lorde compassion on them that feare him This is an other maner of proportion M. Allen then you Papists can skill of which thinke such a necessity to be of this conclusion that if any sinnes be punished in this life they must be punished after this life also For if nothing but iustice be sought against sinnes then followeth nothing but eternal damnation if mercy may moderat the matter what necessity is in this consequence some sinnes are sometime punished in this life ergo in the life to come Thus I haue reasoned supposing that any man had graunted that the iustice of God must be satisfied with our sufferings in this life for I my selfe had rather see the Pope at the deuill then I would affirme the sufferings of Christ to be vnsufficient to aunswere perfectly the iustice of god But behold christian reader the blasphemy of these popish serpents first they will seeme in wordes throughly to acknowledge the benefite of Christes passion lest that euery man that heareth them speak should spit at them When they haue thus obtained audience then they will gather in them selues begin in some part to diminish the perfection therof so proceede vntill they haue in deede though not in wordes cleane excluded Christ and all his merits whereof thou hast a plaine example in this hipocrite who in the beginning of his first chapter confesseth liberally the effect of Christes death â–ª afterward restraineth the force thereof to sinnes committed before baptisme then bringeth in punishment for aunswering the iustice of God in this life afterward extendeth the same vnto the life to come last of all estemeth the punishment by proportion weight continuance number quantity of the faults committed which of necessity thrusteth backe againe the sinnes into eternall torments And what then becommeth of the propitiation for our sinnes purchased vnto vs by the bloud of the sonne of God 2 S. Paule in playne words writeth Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum stipendium peccati mors est The body is dead because of sinne and death is the reward of sinne And so of Dauid because thou hast slayne Vrias Non recedet gladius de domo tua saith the Scripture The sword shall not depart thy house And againe because thou hast made the enemies blaspheme my name thy child shall dye And of the people of Israell Visitabo hoc peccatum eorum I will visite this sinne of theirs also Yet in this light of Scripture whereas the punishment is named so it is expresly mentioned that sinne is the proper cause thereof the aduersary seeketh a blinde mist to dase the simplicity of the reader and to maintaine errour It helpeth our cause exceding much that the very shew of an argument driues them to such vnseemely shiftes S. Augustines wordes shall for me sufficiently refute this errour Veritatem dilexisti impunita peccata eorum etiam quibus ignoscis non reliquisti He speaketh to God in the Prophets person Thou loues righteousnes hast not left vnpunished no not the sinnes of them whom thou louest Notwithstanding this is very true that all these afflictions though they come of sinne aâ—d for the rewarde of mans offences yet God of mercy turneth them to the exercise of vertue and benefite of such as shal be saued But it is one thing to dispute of what cause they come and an other to reason of the wisedom of God in the vse of the same VVho as the said Augustine witnesseth is so mighty in his prouident gouernaunce that he is able to turne euen the very sinnes them selues to the benefite of such as by grace and mercy shal be raised vp to saluation And much more is he ready to frame the punishment which he him selfe of iustice worketh for correction of sinners to the saluation of the elect 2 This peace should proue that the fatherly rodde of Gods mercy is a sword of his iustice to punish those sinnes that are remitted But what maner of proues bringeth he S. Paule he sayth in plaine wordes writeth the body is deade because of sinne and death is the reward of sinne In deede S. Paule writeth so but is the mercy of God turned therfore into iustice or his rodde into a sworde or he from a mercifull father into an angry iudge to omit howe vnfitly he ioyneth these 2. places togither whose sense is so farre differing for in the former saying Rom. 8. he speaketh of the relicks of sinne that are not altogither abolished in them that are regenerate in the latter Rom. 6. he sheweth that they which serue sinne deserue eternall damnation what is this to the proofe of his conclusion but his purpose was onely to make some shewe of variety of places for by and by he returneth to the places alleged and aunswered before of Dauid and of the people of Israell whereunto he adioyneth the saying of Augustine that God leaueth not the sinnes of them vnpunished whome he hath pardoned One aunswere serueth al if there were ten times as much of this sort That God punisheth not to satisfie his iustice but to shew his mercy toward his children to bring them to repentaunce to humble them to make them beware of the like sinnes to admonish others by their example but in no wise that they should make a mendes by due punishment for that which by transgression was committed which aunswere howsoeuer he would seeme to eleuate by wordes yet he bringeth no matter against it but euen the places by him selfe alleged in the chapter before which either all or almost all doe
chastisement of our peace was layd vpon him but we say with the prophet Lord if thou looke straightly to our sinnes who were able to abide it but with thee there is mercy therefore thou shalt be feared Psa. 130. But for a stronger proofe there is alleged a place out of Apoc. 18. looke howe high Babylon did exalt her self how delicatly she liued geue her so much woe torment againe Now I promise you I will say M. Allen is a cunning Logitian if he can draw a good argument out of this place to proue that God punisheth his children to satisfy his iustice The whorish church of Rome is iustly condemned to eternal torments for her pride voluptuousnes there ore Gods children are punished to aunswere the iustice of god The people of God are commauÌ„ded to reward Babylon according to her wickednes and to spare her no more then she sâ—ared them in her tyrannye What pertaineth this to the afflictions of Gods Saincts But because this matter toucheth the point he will tary longer with his aduersary demaund why God taketh punishmeÌ„t in this world for sinne already remitted And then he will coÌ„pel him to answere for satisfying of his iustice which if it be not performed in this life it must be in the life to come This is a fine kinde of reasoning M. Allen that you will enforce your aduersary both to aunswere you also to aunswere what you list then you are good enough for him Is this the logicke of Louayne Nay you haue a finer reason then this punishment iudgement for sinne properly appertayneth not to this worlde but to the next life Then would I grossely inferre therfore the temporal paines that the godly suffer in this world be not properly punishments for sinne But it is of mercy and grace that they suffer in this life that I graunt but not to satisfie for their sinnes Of which matter you doe vntruely call Saynct Paule to witnes 1. Cor. 11. as wheÌ„ he is hearde to speake him selfe it will appeare manifestly If we would iudge our selues sayth he we should not be iudged but when we are iudged we are chastised of the Lorde because we shoulde not be condemned with the worlde Here is chastisement to amendement or obstinacy to condemnation but neuer a word sounding toward purgatory here is a manifest difference betwene the iudgement which God exerciseth towards his children which is chastismeÌ„t to auoyd damnation that iudgement by the which the impenitent world is condemned But in the next life you say there is no place for our working but sufferance alone c. what then shal other mens workes auaile when our owne will not serue and yet it is a matter not so fully agreed vpon among you papistes whether a man may merite in purgatory But to take your owne affirmation and not to charge you with dissention of other men because you dissent so much from your selfe who so weigheth the grounde of your first booke must needes confesse that it ouerturneth your second booke if the matter of your second booke be true then is the ground of your first booke false For the ground of purgatory you would make the iustice of God which requireth punishment for sinnes committed in this life but how can that stand if God accept the worke of other men to release them that should suffer by his iustice if these workes wil answere the matter theÌ„ there is no such necessity of purgatory to satisfie his iustice So that one of your bookes is a prety confutatioÌ„ of the other As for the saying of Augustine helpeth you nothing at all onely he sheweth that God punisheth not all sinnes in this world because many are reserued to eternall torments But howe vncertaine his iudgement was concerning purgatory in that Enchiridion ad Laurentium he him selfe most plainly declareth Tale aliquid etiam post hanc vitam fieri incredibile non est vtrum ita sit quaeri potest It is not incredible that such a thing may be after this life and whether it be so or no it may be doubted and either it may be found or else it may be hidde that some faithfull should passe through a certaine purgatory fier c. cap. 69. By which wordes it appeareth that Sathan was but then laying his foundations of purgatory had not yet finished this worke by a great deale and that this was not so graue a doctrine nor so constant a fayth of the fathers as M. Allen boasteth of in the former cap. Fol. 25. 4 But let vs steppe a foote further and yet so much nearer the matter and note well whether we may finde any case where the payment for sinnes remitted passeth the bondes of this life and so required in the next that by playne dealing and orderly proceeding we may the better instruct the simple confound the aduersary and make truth stand vpon it selfe Consider then with me that our first father pardoned of his sinne as I proued before was punished for the same with him all the iust of those dayes not onely in the time of this present mortall life but many hundreth yeares after their departure For whose deliuery the Catholike church holdeth and our Crede teacheth also that our Maister Christ descended downe into hell And that no man here be deceaued he must vnderstand that it was no smal punishment to be banished so many worlde 's togither from the land of the lyuing and to lacke the ioyfull fruition of heauens blisse which of it selfe but that it was not eternall had bene more then all temporall paynes that may be suffered And this to be one of those miseries which our first fathers disobedience wrought and so to be payne for sinne I thinke euery wise man will confesse Yea it was the greatest dominion of sinne that could be for the ouerthrow of which Christ him selfe vouchsafed to enter into the land of darkenes It is called of the Prophet lacus sine aqua a lake without water And of the Apostle Carcer a prison VVhere the fathers be also named vincti tui thyne that were bounde VVhereby we must vnderstand that Christ had a flocke imprisoned and bound for the debt of sinne in an other worlde But that we may make inuincible proofe that this their captiuity was a iust inioyned plage and penalty for sinne we must report what we finde in auncient Irenaeus of this matter And he affirmeth that Adam was iudged and condemned for his wilfull fall till Christes comming in these wordes Necesse fuit Dominum ad perditam ouem venientem tandem despositionis recapitulationem facientem suum plasma requirentem illum ipsum hominem saluare qui factus fuerat secundum imaginem similitudinem eius id est Adam implentem tempora eius condemnationis quae facta fuerat propter inobedientiam And straight after Solutus est condemnationis vinculis qui captiuus ductus fuerat
penaunce whereby the woundes of mans frailty are profitably cured be found 5 Aske your owne conscience M. Allen whether you haue not miserably wrested the Scriptures your selfe And lette all reasonable men aunswere whether such textes of Scriptures as you haue wrested out of the true sense I haue not wrested out of your handes And that not by shamefull denial of the Doctors but euen by the testimony exposition of the doctors them selues with force of matter rather then flow of wordes with plaine meaning rather then with deceitfull dealing And whereas you boast your selfe to be a reporter of antiquity you haue shewed your selfe to be a fauorer of forgery and a corrupter of antiquity As for the gracious giftes and conceit of comfort that you bragge of in your counterfeit Church of hypocrites and sclaunderous Synagoges of Satan how so euer you paynt it out with glorious termes we geue most humble harty thaÌ„ks to the infinite goodnes of God which hath geuen his holy spirite into our hearts with perfect assurance of his fauour euerlasting and hath so furnished his seruaunts with such giftes as he hath thought sufficient for the setting forth of his praise in his Church vpon earth that we neede not desire any other giftes or comfort out of his family but onely the continuance and increase of the same which we haue already in his owne house vntill we shall be translated from this mortall and corruptible state to the eternall and incorruptible glory which is laid vp in heauen for all them that wait for the appearing of the glorious God our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ to whom be all honour and dominion both now and euermore Amen THE ENDE OF THE FIRST BOOKE THE SECOND BOOKE INTREATING OF THE PRAIERS and other ordinary reliefe that the Church of Christ procureth for the soules departed THE PREFACE OF THIS BOOKE wherein the matter of the treatise and the ordre of the Authors preceading be briefely opened 1 WE haue now taried very longe in the consideration of Gods iustice mighty scourge not onely for the euerlasting outcastes but also for the exacte triall of the chosen childrens wayes The beholding whereof must needes ingender some sorow and sadnesse of minde and with all as it commonly happeth in our frailety a certaine bitter tediousnesse both in the writer and the reader though for my parte I will say with S. Paule that it greeueth me neuer a whit that I haue in my talke geuen you occasion of sadnesse being assured that this present greefe may worke perfect penaunce to vndoubted saluation But the wearinesse of that rough part which might both by the weight of the matter and also by my rude handeling quickely arise to the studious reader I shall in this booke wholy wipe away not by art or pleasant fall of words which in plaine dealing is not much requisite but by the singular comfort of our cause In the continuall course whereof we shall ioy more and more at the beholding of Gods passing mercy in remission of sinnes and mitigatioâ—â—f the paines which iustice enioyned For now we must talke how the fiery sword of Gods ire may be turned from his people VVhich as one of the fathers truely saide beareth a great shewe of vengeaunce and iudgement because it is named a firy sworde but yet knowen withall to be a tourning sworde that is gladius versatilis it shall geue great cause of comfort againe O sapientes sayth deuoute Dasmacene ad vos loquor scrutamini erudimini quia plurimus est timor Dei domini omnium sed multò amplior bonitas formidabiles quidem minae incomparabilis autem clementia horrenda quidem supplicia ineffabile autem miserationum suarum pelagus Thus he speaketh of Purgatory and mercy O you of the wise sorte to you do I speake searche and learne that the feare of God the Lorde of all thinges is maruaillous much but his goodnesse farre ouerreacheth it His threatning exceding feâ—refull but his clemency vncomparable the prepared punishmeÌ„ts doubtlesse horrible but the bottomlesse â—ea of his mercies is vnspeakable so saide he Therefore if our sinnes forgeuen were neuer so greuous or our vicious life so farre wasted in idle welth that space of fructefull penaunce and opportunity of well working by the nightes approching and our Lordes sodden calling be taken away in which longe differring of our amendement heuy and sore execution must needes for iustice sake be done yet let vs not mistrust but God measureth his iudgement with clemency and hath ordeined meanes to procure mercy and mitigate that sentence euen in the middest of that firy doungion that the vessels of grace and the redemed flocke may worthely sing both mercy iudgement to our gracious God who in his angre forgetteth not to haue compassion neither withdraweth his pity in the middest of his ire For this imprisonment endureth no longer then our debtes be paide this fire wasteth no further then it findeth matter to consume this disâ—riet wise flame as some of the fathers before termed it chastiseth no longer then it hath cause to correct Yea often before this fire by course of iustice can cease God quencheth it with his sonnes bloude recompenseth the residew by our maisters merittes and accepteth the carefull crie of our mother the Church for hâ—r children in paine The memorie of Christes death liuely and effectually setforth in the soueraigne misteries vppon the Altare in earth entereth vp to the presence of his seate and procureth pardon in heauen aboue the merites of all sainctes the prayer of the faithfull the workes of the charitable both earnestly aske and vndoubtedly finde mercye and grace at his hande For of such the Prophet Dauid asketh Nunquid in aeternum proijciet Deus aut continebit in ira sua misericordias suas VVill God caste them awaye for euer or will he shutte vp his mercy when he is angrie No he will not so sayth S. Ambrose Deus quos proijcit non in aeternum proijcit God casteth of many whom he doth not euerlastingly for sake Then let vs seeke the wayes of this so mercyfull a Lorde that we may take singular comforte therein our selues against the day of our accompt and indeuour mercyfully to helpe our deare brethern so afflicted lest if we vse not compassion towardes them we iustly receiue at Gods hande for the rewarde of our vnmercyfulnesse iudgement and iustice with out mercy THE SECOND BOOKE TO THE PREFACE 1 YOu haue taryed longer in consideratioÌ„ of Gods iustice then is agreable to the matter of his mercy which is the death of his only sonne our Lord and Sauiour Christ. And now you will mollyfie the hardnesse of that handling with the sory comforte of your vnchristian cause Wherin you haue more regarde to the heating of your owne harthe then to the cooling of the selye soules to kindle a good fire in your owne kitchen then to quench the
them to life and placeth them in heauen with christ Ephes. 2. And as for that painfull penaunce that M. Allen complaineth to be so neglected in our tyme he chargeth vs vniustly with the cause thereof For within tyme of mans memory before the light of the Gospell did shine openly we saw no such painfull penaunce commonly but v. ladyes psalters v. pater nosters v. pence to v. poore men in remembraunce of the v. woundes v. fry dayes fast and such like And as for pilgrimage it was but a pastime for such as loued to roue about the cuntryes The hardest penaunce was to pay so deare for the paultry of Monkes merites and Fryers fables Popes pardons and such like Et hinc illae lachrymae This maketh the bitter complaint that this marchaundise will no more be bought but this is the iudgement of God vpon the great whore of Babylon 3 Considering therefore the great spread of contagion that this vntrue doctrine hath wrought both to the euerlasting miserie of heretikes them selues and also to the greuous punishment that almighty God of iust iudgement may take vpon vs that by his great mercy be yet Catholikes because we liue in wanton welth with out iust care or cogitation of our life past Neither doing any worthy fructes of penaunce nor yet endeuouring to make a mendes and recompense by satisfying for our sinnes before of mercy so pardned that to our damnation they can not now any more be imputed but yet for answering in summe parte of Gods iustice and perfect purging of the same sinnefull life past out of all doubte sharpely punishable for these thinges I say and for the stirring vp of the feare of God in my selfe the helpe of the simple the defense of the trueth and thabating of this great rage of sinne and heresie I thought good to geue warning moued therevnto by my frende also to all such as be not them selues able to searche out the trueth of these matters of that temporall or transitory punishment which God of iustice hath ordained in the other worlde for such as woulde not iudge them selues and preuent his heauy hand whiles they here liued our forefathers more then a thousand yeare since called it Purgatory The truth and certaine doctrine whereof I trust through Gods goodnesse so clearely to proue that the aduersary be he neuer so great with the Deuill shall neuer be able to make any likely excuse of his infidelitie And that so done I shall both open and proue the meanes which the Church of God hath euer profitably vsed for the reliefe of her children from the same punishment to the soueraigne good and comfortable for the faithfull soules departed And here I hartely pray thee gentle Reader whosoeuer thou be that shall finde iust occasion vndoubtedly to beleue this article of necessary doctrine euer constantly set forth by the grauest authoritie that may be in earth that as thou faithfully beleues it so thou perpetually in respect of the day of that dreadfull visitation study with feare and trembling to worke thy saluation Let that be for euer the difference betwixt the vnfruitefull faith of an heretike and the profitable beliefe of the true Catholike Christian that this may worke assured penaunce to perpetuall saluation and his vaine presumption to euerlasting damnation And though the matter which I haue taken in hand be nothing fitte for the diet of such delicate men as haue bene brought vp vnder the pleasant preaching of our dayes yet perchaunce change of diet with the sharpnesse of this eager sawse were if they could beare it much more agreable to their weake stomackes Trueth was euer bitter and faulshood flattering For th one by present paine procureth perpetuall wealth thother through deceitfull sweetenes worketh euerlasting woe But as for these pleasure preachers them selues because I feare me they haue indented with death and shaked hands with hell whatsoeuer may be sayd in this case they will yet spurne with the wordes of the wicked Flagellum inundans cum transierit not veniet super nos quia posuimus mendacium spem nostram mendacio protecti sumus Tush the common scourge when it passeth ouer shall not touch vs for we haue made lying our succour and by lying are we garded Yet when the light of the Apostolike tradition shall dase their eyes and the force of Gods truth beare downe their boldnes their owne blacke afflicted conscience by inward acknowledging that truth which they openly withstand shall so horribly torment their mindes that denying Purgatory they shall thinke them selues a liue in hell But gentle Readers pray for them with teares that God of his mighty grace would strike their flesh with his feare And if my poore paine with the prayers of vs all could turne any one of them all from the way of wickednesse it would recompense doubtlesse some of our sinnes and couâ—r a number of my misdeedes And euer whilest we liue let vs praise God that in this time of temptation he hath not suffered vs to fall as our sinnes haue deserued into the misery of these forsakers To whom if I speake sometimes in this treatise more sharply then my custome or nature requireth the zeale of truth and iust indignation towards heresie with the example of our forefathers must be my excuse and warrant I wil be as plain for the vnlearneds sakes as I may the matter suffer And therfore now at the first I will open the very ground as neare as I can of so necessary an article that the ignorance of any one peece may not darken the whole cause Desiring the studious to reade the whole discourse because euery peculiar pointe so ioyntly dependeth of the residewe that the knowledge of one orderly geueth light to all the other And so the whole togither I â—rust shall reasonably satisfie his desire 3 Here as I take it in the second face of the 18. leafe beginneth the 3. matter promised in the argument namely a briefe note of the authors intent c. The chiefe consideration as I gather is for that men endeuour not to make amendes and recompence by satisfying for their sinnes and therefore for answering some part of Gods iustice and perfect purging of the same sinnefull life past there remayneth sharpe punishment after this lyfe I will commit to Christ to be reueÌ„ged the horrible iniury done to his death and bloud shedding which if it be not a full aunswering of Gods iustice and a perfect purging of all our sinnefull life in vaine shall we seeke it else where But I will reason with M. Allen in his owne principles What say you Sir remayneth there some part of Gods iustice to be aunswered by suffering Surely if the passion of Christ will not serue that was the immaculate lambe of God it were straunge that the suffering of a sinnefull man should satisfie the same And if suffering of the party that hath sinned be necessarily required for aunswering some part of
Gods iustice howe can the same suffering be mitigated by masses pardons merites c. or cleane taken away by a pardon of Iubely à poena culpa Againe howe can the merites of an other abate his punishment which must suffer him selfe to aunswere Gods iustice If the iustice of God be not aunswered by the offering of Christ how is it aunswered when any mans suffering is by any of your meanes mollified or taken away But it sufficeth you that your forefathers more then a thousand yeares agoe called that place of sufferance purgatory But I pray you what is it called in the Scripture either of the olde testament or the newe or in the first and second hundreth yeares after Christ Diuerse errours be older then a thousand yeares but age can neuer make falshoode to be truth and therefore I waye not your proude bragges worth a strawe I am one of the least of Gods ministers and not worthy in respect of my greatest infirmities of the lowest place in his Church yet by his grace and the authoritie of his holy word I shall be able to ouerthrowe both this and all other babylonicall bulwarkes that are cast vp by Sathan and all his instruments For the defence of popish heresie against the tâ—uth of god And neither the myst of mens inuentions which you call the light of apostolike tradition shall be able to darken the truth of the Gospell nor the errours of mortall men which you terme the force of Gods trueth shall beare downe thauthoritie of Gods holy spirite And as for the torment of conscience by inward acknowedlging of the truth openly withstanded it is not like you could so liuely describe it if you had not experience of it in your selfe Our consciences most humble and harty thankes we yeald to the infinite mercy of God are washed white and purged from all blacknes by the precious bloud of Christ which is the propitiation for our sinnes that cleaue vnto him by true liuely faith and open iudgement shall one day shew that all obstinate Papistes which seeke to establish their owne iustice shal be voyde of the iustice of God while they wrastle to come out of purgatory they take the high way to fall headlong into hell God lighten the eyes of them that are blinde of simplicitie and confound all such as sinne of malicious wickednes The excuse of your sharpe speach perhaps might seeme probable if you did not vse intollerable sclaundering and rayling which neither by zeale of trueth nor example of godly fathers can well be shadowed much lesse warranted THAT OFTEN AFTER OVR SINNES BEFOR GIVEN BY THE sacrament of penaunce there remaineth some due of temporall punishment for the satisfying of Gods iustice some recompence of the offences past CAP. I. 1 AS it is most true and the very grounde of all Christian comfort that Christes death hath payed duely and sufficiently for the sinnes of all the world by that aboundant price of redemption payed vppon the Crosse So it is of like credit to all faithfull that no man was euer partaker of this singular benefite but in the knotte and vnitie of his body misticall which is the Church To the members whereof the streames of his holy bloud and beames of his grace for the remission of sinne sanctification be orderly through the blessed Sacraments as condethes of Gods mercy conueyde All which Sacraments though they be instituted and vsed as meanes to deriue Christes benefites and bestow his grace of redemption vppon the worthy receiuers yet like effect or force is not by the meaning of their first author and institutor emploied vpon all receiuers nor giuen to all the Sacraments That may well appeare if we marke the exceding aboundant mercy that is powred vpon al men at their first incorporation and entraunce into the houshold of the faithfull by Baptisme In which Sacrament the merites of our masters death be so fully and largely caried downe for the remission of sinne that were the life before neuer so loden with most horrible offences that in this misery man may commit yet the offender is not onely pardoned of the same but also perfectly acquieted for euer of all paine or punishment other then the common miseries of mankind which his proper offences before committed by any meanes might deserue And no lesse free nowe then the childe after baptisme which onely originall sinne brought thither So sayth S. Ambrose by these wordes Gratia Dei in Baptismate non quaerit gemitum aut planctum aut opus aliquod nisi solum ex corde professionem The grace of God in Baptisme requireth neither sorow nor mourning nor any other worke but onely an hearty profession of thy faith VVhereby he meaneth that after our sinnes be once thus freely wiped away in our first regeneration there is no charge of punishment or penaunce for farther reliefe of the same But now a man that is so freely discharged of all euill life and sinne committed before he came into the family if he fall into relapse defile the temple of God then as Gods mercy alwaies passeth manns malice euen in this case also he hath ordayned meanes to repaire mans fall againe That is by the Sacrament of penaunce which therefore S. Hierome termeth the second table or refuge after shipwracke as a meanes that may bring man to the porte of saluation though lightly not without present dammage and daunger In which blessed Sacrament though Gods grace haue mighty force for mans recouery and worketh aboundantly both remission of sinnes and the discharge of eternall punishment due by iust iudgement to the offender yet Christ him selfe the author of this Sacrament as the rest meant not to communicate such efficacie or force to this as to baptisme for the vtter acquieting of all paine by sinnefull life deserued For as in Baptisme where man is perfectly renewed it was semely to set thoffender at his first entraunce on cleare ground and make him free for all thinges done abrode so it excedingly setteth forth Gods iustice and nothing impareth his mercy to vse as in all common welthes by nature and Gods prescription is practised with grace discipline with iustice clemency with fauour correction and with loue due chastisement of such sinnes as haue by the houshold children bene committed Nowe therefore if after thy free admission to this family of Christ thou doe greeuously offend remission may then be had againe but not commonly without sharpe discipline seeing the father of this our holy houshold punisheth where he loueth and chastiseth euery childe whom he receiueth VVhose iustice in punishment of sinne not onely the wicked but also the good must much feare VVhereof S. Augustine warneth vs thus Deus sayth he nec iusto parcit nec iniusto illum flagellando vt filium istum puniendo vt impium God spareth neither the iust nor vniust chastising th one as his childe punishing the other as a wicked
person A childe then of this houshold continuing in fauour though he can not euerlastingly perish with the impenitent sinners yet he must being not by some especial prerogatiue pardoned beare the rodde of his fathers discipline And gladly say with the prophet In flagella paratus sum I am ready for the roddes And whatsoeuer these wantons that are runne out of this house for their owne ease or other mennes flattery shal forge let vs continue in perpetuall cogitation of our sinnes forgeuen and by all meanes possible recompence our negligences past Let vs not think but God hath somewhat to say to vs euen for our offences pardoned being thus warned by â—is owne mouth Sed habeo aduersum te pauca quòd charitatem tuam primam reliquisti Memor esto itaque vnde excideris age poeniteÌ„tiam prima opera fac But somewhat I haue against thee because thou art fallen from thy first loue Remembre therefore from whence thou fell do penaunce and beginne thy former workes againe And the consideration of this diuersitie betwixt remission had by baptisme and after relapse by the sacrament of penaunce moued Damascen to call this second remedie Baptismum vere laboriosum quod per poenitentiam lachrymas perficitur A kinde of Baptisme full of trauell by penaunce and teares to be wroght In which God so pardoneth sinnes that both the offence it selfe and the euerlasting paine due for the same being wholy by Christes death merites wyped away there may yet remaine the debt of temporal punishmeÌ„t on our parte to be discharged as well for some satisfactioÌ„ of Gods iustice against the eternal ordre wherof we vnworthely offended as for to aunswere the Church of her right as S. Austine saith in which only al sinnes be forgeueÌ„ Mary when occasion of satisfying for our offensies in this life is neglected or lacke of time by reason of longe continuance and late repentaunce suffereth not due recompense in our life which is the time of mercie then certes the hand of God shall be much more heuie and the punishment more greuous And this is with out doubt to be looked for that the debt due for sinne must either here by paine or pardon be discharged or els to our greater grief after our departure required CAP. I. 1 ALthough the argument of this chapter be but one yet I thought it good to diuide the answere into two partes The former part containeth his proposition the latter his confirmation And first concerning the sufficiency of Christes redemption there is nothing can be spoken so magnifically but that the worthines thereof passeth and excedeth it I will therefore agree with you in that you say of the comfort sufficiency and aboundant pâ—â—ce of the death of Christ and I would you would alwayes agre with your selfe in the constant confession of the same truth I receaue also that which you affirme that the benefit of his death extendeth also to the members of his mystical body But in that which you make to be the onely meane whereby the same is conueyed and applyed vnto vs I can not but dissent from your iudgement For the meane on Gods behalfe by which we are made partakers of the fruites of Christes passion and so grafted into his body is his holy spirite of promise which is the earnest and assuraunce of our inheritaunce who worketh in vs fayth as the onely meane by which the righteousnes of Christ is applyed vnto vs Eph. 1. And as for the Sacraments which you seeme to make the onely condittes of Gods mercy we are taught in the holy Scriptures that they are the seales of Gods promises geuen for the confirmation of our fayth as was circumcision to Abraham when he was iustified before through faith Rom. 4. You will vs in the margent to marke the grounde of your cause which is in deede a good admonition For seeing the grounde of your cause leaneth vpon your onely affirmation and is contrary to thautority of Gods word iniurious to the spirite of God and neglecting the fayth of Christ what so euer you buyld thereuppon must needes be like the foundation But howe shoulde your free will be maintayned if Gods spirite had any place that distributeth to euery one according to the good pleasure of his owne will. 1. Cor. 12. And how should the Sacrament geue grace of the worke wrought if fayth were requisite in them that receiue them Of like authority it is which you say that like effect is not geuen to all the Sacramentes Surely all the Sacramentes of Christes institution haue lyke effect in Gods elect But let vs heare your difference By baptisme all sinne committed before and the punishment thereof is clearely forgeuen by the Sacrament of penaunce though the sinne be forgiuen yet there remayneth a temporal punishment When the Pope geueth a general pardon à poena culpa doth he not it by the sacrament of penaunce if he do it by that sacrament then are temporall paines also remitted therby Thus one falshod ouerthroweth an other But Christ you say the author of this sacrament meant not to communicate such efficacie â—o this as to Baptisme Here are two assertions first of the author then of the force of this Sacrament but neither of both able to be proued by the word of god Neuerthelesse here is brought in that which is thought to be the piller not onely of purgatory but also of all other popish satisfactions namely the chastisement and correction that God ministreth to his children whose sinnes he hath pardoned which is not a satisfaction for the sinnes past but a warning for the time to come and is neuer accompted in scripture for an answering of Gods iustice but a token of his mercy being not the punishment of a iudge but the chastisement of the father to the amendement of his childe that suffereth and for an admonition of other that they likewise offend not Heb 12. And after this manner are also those places to be vnderstood where God is sayd to punish the offences of his children But whereas M. Allen allegeth the saying of Christ vnto the Angell of the Church of Ephesus Apoc. 2. But I haue somewhat against thee c. to proue that God hath somewhat to say for our offences pardoned I maruell whether he were sleeping or waking when he wrote it for there the pastor and Church is charged for their offence which is not to be pardoned except they repent if they repent to be clearly remitted But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or age poenitentiam with M. Allen is doe penaunce doing of penaunce with him soundeth to make satisfaction He professeth in one place his ignoraunce in the Greeke tongue but if he would but acknowledge what poenitere in Latine signifieth to be sory he neede not to haue occupied him selfe in alleging that place But proceding a litle further he maketh two causes why the debt of temporall punishment remaineth to be
and graunts So M. Allen for euery matter when his owne reasons faile hath the concessions of his aduersaries which if they will not franckly make he wil forcibly compell them to say what he will haue them Last of all he sayth it is presumption such as toucheth the very prouidence of God with iniury to say that he letteth any sinner scape vnpunished which repented not vntill the houre of death as for whome he hath no scourge in the next life as he had here if death had not preuented his purpose But these he calleth childish cogitations but he might well haue termed them deuilish imaginations which will controule the wisedome and mercie of God vnder his blinde reason and corrupt affections and not suffer God to shew mercy vpon whome he will shew mercy Rom. 9. without his blaspemous and enuious murmuring His promise made so pleasauntely not to digresse from his fautlesse matter how perfectely he performeth we shall see afterwarde That the practise of Christes Church in the courte of binding and loosing mans sinnes doth liuely set forth the order of Gods iustice in the next life and proue Purgatory CAP. III. 1_THis being then proued that God him selfe hath oftē visited the sinnes of such as were very deare vnto him let vs now diligently beholde the graue authority of loosing and binding sinnes and the courte of mans conscience which Christ woulde haue kept in earth by the Apostles and Pastours of our soules where we neede not doubt but to finde the very resemblaunce of Gods disposition and ordinance in punishing or pardoning offensies For the honor and poure of this ecclesiasticall gouernement is by especiall commission so ample that it conteineth not onely the preaching of the Gospell and ministerie of the Sacraments but that which is more neare to the might and maiestie of God and onely aperteineth to him by proprietie of nature the very exact iudgement of all our secret sinnes with loosing and binding of the same For as God the father gaue all iudgement to his onely Sonne so he at his departure hense to the honor of his spouse and necessarie giding of his people did communicate the same in most ample maner as S. Chrysostome sayth to the Apostles and priestes for euer that they practising in earth terrible iudgemēt vpon mans misdeedes might fully represent vnto vs the very sentence of God in punishment of wickednesse in the worlde to come The princes of the earth haue poure to binde too but no further then the body but this other sayth he reacheth to the soule it selfe and practised here in the world beneth which is a straunge case hath force and effect in heauen aboue The poure of all potentates vnder the maiestie of the blessed Trinitie in heauen and earth is extreme basenesse compared to this By this graue authoritie therefore the Pastors and Priestes imitating Gods iustice haue exercised continually punishment from the spring of Christian religion downe till these dayes vpon all sinners perpetually enioyning for satisfying of Gods wrath penaunce and workes of correction either before they would absolue them as the olde vsage was or els after the release of their offensies which now of late for graue causes hath bene more vsed In which sentence of their iudgement we plainely see that as there was euer accomp◠made amongest all the faithfull of paine due vnto sinne though the very offense it selfe and the giltinesse as you would say thereof were forgiuen before so we may gather that it was euer enioyned by the priestes holy ministerie after the qualitie and quantitie of the fault committed VVhereupon they charged some maner offenders with certaine prayers onely other with large almose diuerse with long fasting many with perilous peregrinations some with suspending from the sacraments and very greuous offenders with curse and excommunication VVhereby thou maiest not onely proue that there is paine to be suffred for thy sinnes but also haue a very image of that miserie which in the next life may faule not onely to the damned for euer but also to all other which neglected in this time of grace the fructes of penaunce and workes of satisfaction for the aunswere of their liues past This great correction of excommunication and separation from the sacramentes S. Paule termeth the rodde wherewith he often threatened offenders yea and some times though it was with great sorow the punishment was so extreme he mightely in Gods steade occupied the same As once against Himeneus and Alexander and an other time towardes a Corinthian vpon whome being absent he gaue sentence of their deliuery vp to Satan not to be vexed of him as Iob was for the increase of merite sayth Chrysostome but in their flesh meruelously to be tormented for paiment for their greuous offensies and as the Apostle writeth of the Corinthian that his soule might be false in the day of our Lorde CAP. III. 1 BEcause this man would shew him selfe mindeful of his promise hereafter he is euen now wandered out of Purgatory into excommunication which notwithstanding he counteth no digression at all because it doth set forth the order of Gods iustice in the next life and proue Purgatory which were neither so nor so but that he hath a speciall grace to make all thinges serue his purpose though they be neuer so farre from it Omnia ex omnibus he can make what he liste of euery thing We confesse the power of excommunication geuen by Christ vnto his Church and the seueritie of the punishment thereof to be greater then the swelling wordes of M. Allens eloquence can expresse but where as he addeth that it hath bene the perpetuall vsage of Gods church for satisfying of Gods wrath to enioyne penaunce and workes of correctiō before they would absolue which was the olde custome or els after the release of their offence which was the new fashion he sheweth him selfe ignoraunte of the right vse and end of that auctoritie which our Sauiour hath committed vnto his Church For the chiefe ende of this discipline is to bring the sinners to repentaunce which if it may be obtained by admonitiō the sworde of excommunication must not be drawen out As appereth plainely by Christes owne wordes Matth. 18. If priuate admonition where the offence is not publike may preuaile to winne our brother there needeth no witnesse to be called If two or three may serue to admonish the matter neede not to be referred to the Churches knowledge and he that heareth the Church so that by the admonition thereof he is brought to harty repentaunce is not to be cut of from the Church nor to be deliuered to Sathan for how should the Church refuse him whome God receiueth But if he obstinatly contemne the gentle admonition of the Church or as our Sauiour saieth if he refuse to heare the Church then let him be as an heathen or publicane For afterwarde if being excommunicated he shew harty tokens of repentaunce
the blessed martyr noteth certeine conuersies in his dayes who thought they had much wronge to be further burdened with penaunce for their fall more theÌ„ the returne to God againe he toucheth the maners of our time very neare his words sounding thus Before their sinnes fully purged before the confession of their faulte made before their consciencies by the priest and sacrifice be cleansed before the ire and indignation of God be pacified and past they thinke all is well and make boast thereof But he instructeth them in the same place better as followeth Confesse your selues brethren whilest ye are in this life and whilest the remission and satisfaction by the priestes apointement is acceptable Let vs turne vnto God with all our hartes expressing the penauÌ„ce for our sinnes by singular griefe and sorow let vs call for mercy let vs prostrate our selues before God let our heuinesse of hearte satisfie him let vs with fasting weeping and howling appeace his wrath Whome for that he is our louing father we acknowledge to be mercifull and yet because he beareth the maiestie of a iudge he is for iustice much to be feared To a deepe and a greuous wounde a long and sharpe sauluing must be accepted Exceding earnestly thou must pray thou must passe ouer the remnaunt of thy time with lamentable complaintes thou must for thy soft bedde take harde earth and ashes and romble thy selfe in sackecloth for the losse of Christes vesture refuse all apparell after the receite of the Deuils food chuese earnest fasting and by diligent applying thy selfe to good workes and almes deedes purge thy sinne and deliuer thy soule from death 3 Here he asketh leaue of the Reader to be somwhat long in rehearsing the opinions of diuerse doctors to confirme his former falshod but he should rather haue asked leaue of the doctors them selues to belye them so beastly to racke their sayings so violently farre from their purpose and meanings And to beginne with Origen what doth he in that place by him alleged but exhort men vnto harty and earnest repentaunce by humbling them selues before God and acknowledging their sinnes which holy Scripture testifieth to be the way to preuent the wrath of god And what his iudgement was concerning satisfaction for sinnes he declareth sufficiently in his 3. booke vpon the Epist. to the Rom. cap. 3. where often times he repeateth that a man is iustified before God by faith onely affirming that in forgeuenes of sinnes God respecteth no workes but faith onely as he proueth by the parable that our Sauiour vsed vnto Simon the Pharise Luke 7. and aunswereth also those obiections which euen the Papistes at this day make against vs for teaching that faith only doth iustifie vs in the sight of god S. Cyprian as I haue sufficiently shewed before calleth such as had fallen in time of persecution from the profession of christianity to harty repentaunce and to testifie the same by submitting them selues humbly vnto the discipline of the Church But it is straunge to see how vnconsideratly M. Allen allegeth his places that oftentimes they conteine more playne matter against him then apparant profe by violent wrasting can be wroÌ„g out from them I maruaile M. Allen either seeth not him selfe or thinketh that other men can not espye that Cyprian exhorteth men to confession of their offences in this life where onely satisfaction and remission made by the Priestes is acceptable vnto the lord If men can not satisfie nor Priest remit but whilest men are in this life then farewell satisfaction for the dead and purgatory 4 So doth S. Augustine correct the error of such as thinke the chaunge of life with out all cogitatioÌ„ or care of their offenses past to be sufficient for mans perfect repaire and reconciliation to our Lorde againe It is not sufficient sayth he to amende our maners and turne backe from our miâ—dedes vnlesse we satisfie before God for them which we haue already committed by dolour of penauÌ„ce by humble sighes grones by the sacrifice of a coÌ„trite harte working with almes dedes And in this sense againe he vttoreth this comfortable rule Sed neque de ipsis criminibus quamlibet magnis remittendis in Ecclesia Dei desperanda est misericordia agentibus poenitentiam secundum modum sui cuiusque peccati But we may not despaire of Gods mercy for the remission of sinnes in the Church be they neuer so greuoiâ— â–ª I meane to all such as will do penaunce according to the quaÌ„tity of their fault So S. Ambrose writing to a religious woman that had broken her vowe of chastity which in those dayes was reckened one ef the most deadly and greuous crimes that coulde be warneth her thus Grandi plagae alta prolixa opus est medicina grande scelus grandem necessariam habet satisfactionem A greuous hurt must haue a deepe long sauluing a heinous offense requireth maruelous much satisfaction Yea as I take his words he plainely admonisheth her that she shall haue much a doe to satisfie fully for her sinne during her life therefore he seemeth to will her not to looke for full remedy and release before she feele Gods iudgement VVhich he meaneth not by the generall day but the particular accompt which followeth streight vpoÌ„ mans death But that I deceiue no man wittingly I wil report his owne wordes Inhaere poeniteÌ„tiae vsque ad extremum vitae nec tibi praesumas ab humano die posse veniaÌ„ dari quia decipit te qui hoc tibi polliceri voluerit quae enim proprie in dominuÌ„ peccasti ab illo solo in die iudicij coÌ„uenit expectare remediuÌ„ CoÌ„tinue in penaunce to the last day thou hast to liue and presume not ouer boldly of pardoÌ„ to be obteined in mans day for who so euer promiseth thee so he deceiueth thee for thou that hast offended directly against God him selfe must at Gods hande onely in the day of iudgement trust of mercy If he meane by the last IudgemeÌ„t then the author supposeth that such horrible incest shall be punished till the day of the general resurrectioÌ„ in purgatory for after that day as Augustin affirmeth there shal be no more any of the elect in paine He meaneth theÌ„ surely nothing els but that there caÌ„ be no penaunce aunswerable fully in this life to so greuous a crime and that the Church ordinarely pardoneth not the sinnes which be not by some proportion of paine and punishment recompensed And this is ordinary though by the supreme power giuen to Gods ministers for the gouernement of the Church the offender may in this case or the like if his competent dolour of hearte and zeâ—e so require wholy be acquieted through the merites of Christes death and the happy fellowship of sainctes in the communion of the common body where the lacke of one membre is abundantly supplied by the residue Mary it is a â—arde matter to be so qualified that
After the sinnes of man be pardoned God oftentimes punisheth the offender the church punisheth him and man punisheth him selfe ergo there is some payne due after sinne be remitted Secondly this payne can not alwayes be discharged in this world eyther for lacke of space after the remission as it happeth in repentaunce at the houre of death or else when the party liueth in perpetuall welth without care or cogitation of any satisfaction therefore it must be aunswered in an other place Thirdly the common infirmities and the dayly trespasses which abase and defile the workes euen of the vertuous of their proper condition doe deserue payne for a tyme as the mortall offence deserueth perpetuall Therefore as the mortall sinne being not here pardoned must of iustice haue the reward of euerlasting punishment so it must needes followe that the veniall fault not here forgeuen should haue the reward which of nature it requireth that is to say temporall payne And therefore not onely the wicked but the very iust also must trauell to haue their daily infirmities and frailty of their corrupt natures forgiuen crying without ceasing forgeue vs our debts Quia non iustificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis viuens For no man aliue shal be able to stand before the face of God in his owne iustice or righteousnes and if these light sinnes should neuer be imputed then it were needelesse to cry for mercy or confesse debt as euery man doth be he neuer so passing holy To be briefe this debt of paine for sinne by any way remayning at the departure hence must of iustice be aunswered VVhich can not be without punishmēt in the next life then there must be a place of iudgement for temporall and transitory paynes in the other world The whole discourse made before hath geuen force enough to euery part of the argument the Scriptures doe proue it the practise of the Church confirmeth it all the doctors by our aduersaries graunt agree vpon it If they haue any thing to say here I make them fayre play the ground is open the reasons laide naked before their face remoue them as they can Lette them deale simply if they meane truely and not flourish as they vse vppon a false ground that in flowe of wordes they may couer errour or in rase of their smoth talke ouerrunne truth And that euery man may perceiue that we haue not raised this doctrine vpon reason only or curiositie although the graue authoritie of Gods Church might here in satisfie sober wittes we will now by Gods helpe go nearer the matter and directly make proofe of Purgatory by holy Scriptures reciting such places of the olde and new Testament as shall proue our cause euen in that sense which the learnedst and godlyest fathers of all ages by conference of places or other likelyhood shall fynde and determine to be most true Alleaging none els but such as they haue in the flour of Christian faith noted and peculiarely construed for that purpose which now is in question That the aduersaries of that doctrine may rather striue with the said saincts and doctours then with me that will as they shall well perceiue do nothing but truely reporte their wordes or meaninge Or rather that such as haue erred in that case by giuing ouer light credit to the troblesome teachers of these vnhappy dayes maye when they shall vnderstand the true meaning of the Scriptures the constant doctrine of the Catholike Church the wordes of all auncient writers the determination of so many holy Councels the olde vsage of all nations by humble prayers obteine of God the light of vnderstanding the trueth and the gifte of obedience to his will and worde Or if there be any so sattled in this vnlickely sect that he purposeth not to beleue the graue writers of olde times nor receiue their expositions vpon such places as we shall recite for that preiudice which he hath of this owne witte and vnderstanding yet let him not maruell at my simplicity that had rather geue credit to others then my selfe Or that in this hote time of contention and partaking in religion I do repose my selfe vnder the shadow of so many worthy writers as anone shall giue euidence in my cause CAP. V. 1 TRiumphing before the victorie and that is more before the encontry of hāde strokes for we come to ioyning but now you will now win your spurs or els it shal be a blacke daye with all Protestantes I will be as shorte in mine aunswere as you are in your arguments And that I may put on an armour of proofe to beare of your terrible haileshot your first argumēt hath neither good forme nor matter no more hath your second no more hath your third If you or any for you will prepare your selfe to geue a bitter charge either I or some other shal be redy to shape you an other aunswere But because here is nothing in this briefe ioyning but which hath bene largly discharged before in aunswere to your longe excursions it were nedelesse to make such vaine repetition as you doe especially in your last shorte argument in which space all the substaunce of your large booke might easily haue bene placed only to fil vp a competent length of the fift chapter and with such a tedious inlarging of a superfluous matter as a yong practiser of Rhetoricke would be ashamed to vse in a fayned declamation much worse becomming an auncient master of arte professing to trusse vp his arguments by Logicke to make a perfect perswasion As for the promisse of further proofe both out of the Scriptures and out of the doctors that followeth after this gallant ioyning and lusty challenge shall haue no preiudice of my disabling of the meane to perform it vntill it appeare by playne conference of his arguments and myne aunswers that his words are but winde and his promisse but pratling That Purgatory paines doth not onely serue Gods iustice for the punishement of sinne but also cleanse and qualifie the soule of man defiled for the more seemely entraunce into the holy places vvith conferēce of certaine places of Scripture for that purpose CAP. VI. 1 IF we well cōsider the wonderfull base condition and state of mans nature corrupted by our first fathers disobedience and more and more abased by continuall misery that sinne hath brought into our mortall life we shall finde the worke of Gods wisedome in the excellent repaire of this his creature to be full of mercy and full of maruell But proceding somewhat further and weying not onely his restoring but also the passing great anauncement to the vnspeakable glory of the elect there shall reason and all our cogitations vtterly faint and faile vs. The kingdome prepared is honored with the maiestie of the glorious Trinitie with the humanitie of Christ our Sauiour with the blessed Mary the vessell of his Incarnation with the bewtifull creatures and wholy vndefiled of all the ordres of Angels There can nothing doubtlesse
at the last appearing Finally the exact triall and purging that he speaketh of is the discouering of hypocrites by his doctrine wherof also Iohn Baptist preacheth that his fan is in his hand and he shall purge his floore c. To conclude that this may not be thought to be mine owne collection it is the iudgement and interpretation of Ieronym vppon this very text Malachy the 3. in euery poynt who with all his learning coulde finde no purgatory fire spoken of in this cap. Now to the other place o◠Paule that it can by no equity be drawen to purgatory for all M. Allens likelihoode numbring in the margent it shall be manifest by as many euident arguments First S. Paule speaketh not generally of all men but of preachers onely that are buylders of Gods Church Secondly he speaketh not of all their workes but of their preaching or building onely Thirdly he speaketh neuer a word of purging or making cleane of mens works but of the triall of the worke of building which is doctrine But what doctrine is tryed to be true or false substantiall or superficiall by the fire of purgatory Fourthly the workes are sayd that shall be tryed by fire and not the persons Fiftly the gold and siluer abideth the strawe and stuble consumeth through the fire of this triall which is the iudgement of God and not the paynes of purgatory And this is the iudgement of Ieronym vpon the place of Malachy before rehearsed where also he applyeth the text of Esay 4. before cited by M. Allen. fol. 59. The Lord sayth he is a consuming fire to burne vp our wodde hay and strawe The other obseruations be also taken out of that auncient doctor whose commentary vppon the epistle to the Corinthians hath gone vnder the name of Ieronym and is annexed to his workes sauing that by gold siluer wodde straw c. he vnderstandeth the men them selues and not their workes But as for purgatory he findeth none by that text S. Augustine also although otherwise inclining to the errour of purgatory yet he is cleare that this text proueth it not neither ought to be expounded of it and that he sheweth by many reasons Enchirid. ad Laurentium cap. 68. where he affirmeth that by the fire is ment the triall of tribulation in this life Chrysostom vpon the same text vnderstandeth by the fire euerlasting punishment euen of him that shall be saued through fire without any mention of purgatory except it be in reprouing them that denied immortall punishmēt to be meant by this place in 1. Cor. 3. Hom. 9. But if the place were to be considered absolutely without regard of circumstances as the Papistes doe when they expound it for purgatory yet can not it aptly be framed thereto because he sayth that euery mans worke or the man him selfe if they will shall passe through that fire but they thē selues affirme that perfect good men shall not come there at all nor very wicked men but onely men of a midle sort but by tryall of this fire whereof S. Paule speaketh good men shall receiue reward when their worke endure therefore this is not the fire of purgatory That there is a particulare iudgement and priuate accompt to be made at euery mans departure of his seuerall actes and deedes vvith certaine of the fathers mindes touching the textes of Scripture alleged before CAP. VII 1 ANd though such as shall liue at the comming of the iudge in the later daye shall then be purged of their corruption and base workes of infirmity by the fire that shall a better and alter the impure nature of these corruptible elements or otherwise according to Gods ordinaunce yet the common sort of all men which in the meane time depart this worlde must not tary for their purgation till that generall amending of all natures no more then the very good in whome after their baptisme no filthe of sinne is founde or if any were was wiped away by penaunce must awayt for their saluation or the wicked tary for their iust iudgement to damnatiō But straight this sentēce either of iudgement or mercy must be pronounced and therefore is called the particulare iudgement by which the soule onely shall receiue welthe or woe as at the day of the great accompt both body and soule must do Of this seuerall triall the holy Apostle S. Paule sayth statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori post hoc iudicium It is determined that euery man once must dye and after that commeth iudgement And an other Scripture more expressely thus Facile est coram domino reddere vnicuique in die obitus sui secundum vias suas It is an easy matter before our Lorde that euery man at the day of his death shoulde be rewarded according to his life wayes Againe in the same place Memor esto iudicij mei sic enim erit tuum mihi heri tibi hodie Haue in remembraunce my iudgement for such shal thine owne be yesterday was mine today may be thine And therfore S. Ambrose sayth that without delay the good poore man was caried to rest and the wicked riche out of hand suffered torments That euery man sayth he may feele before the day of iudgement what he must then looke for And in an other place the same holy man writeth that Iohn the beloued of Iesus is already gone to the paradise of euerlasting blesse passing as few shall do the firie sworde at the entraunce of ioy without all stoppe or tariaunce because the fire of loue in his life time had such force in him that the amēding fier after his chaunge should take no holde of him at all so sayth Ambrose But of this priuate iudgement the Reuerend Bede hath a goodly sentēce in the fift of his historie Meminerimus facta cogitationes nostras nō in ventū diffluere sed ad examē summi Iudicis cūcta seruari siue per amicos Angelos in fine nobis ostendēda siue per hostes Let vs remēbre saith he that all our dedes thoghtes shal abide not be caried away with the winde but be reserued to the examination of the high Iudge so shall be laide before our face at our ending either by our good or aduersary Angels By all which it is euident that the soules sleepe not of which errour Luther was also noted nor be reserued in doubt of their damnation either perpetuall or temporall till the latter day but streight waye receiue as they deserued before in their life either welth or wofull paines In this day of our Lorde then this Purgatory paines must beginne to all such as haue after their Baptisme where they laide the foundation of Christes faith builded the workes of lesser sinnes and imperfection and not washed them a waye by penaunce in their life nor obteyned mercy for the same The which trueth the places of the Prophet and Apostle before alleaged with out all
worlde or the next but Christes passion alone the benefit whereof is not by the sufferers will extended to any that sinneth vnto death being able to satisfy for the same As often then as thou hearest any Catholike man affirme purgatory to punish or purge greuous and deadely offenses be assured his meaning of the temporall paine due vnto wicked men and their sinnes after their bonde and debt of euerlasting death with the very faulte it selfe be in Gods Church remitted For as S. Augustine sayth a mortall sinne forgeuen is becomne a veniall trespasse and so deserueth no more paine then a veniall sinne which by transitory punishment may be fully and perfitely released thus he sayth Quaedam enim sunt peccata quae mortalia sunt in poenitentia fiunt venialia non tamen statim sanata There be sinnes sayth he which being deadly of their owne nature be yet by poenaunce made venial though not alwayes straight healed Then by this rule what so euer is spoken of veniall sinnes or the purgation thereof it is ment both by the small offensies which of their owne nature are veniall and also of the greater so that they be forgeuen in Gods Church before whereby they are become veniall as the other and deserue proportionaly as the other and may be taken away as the same man affirmeth either in this worlde or the next by the same remedies as the other though not alwayes so speedely CAP. IX 1 NO maruell but you must crowe like a cocke of the game you haue obtayned such a noble victory out of Origens errour and specially you haue discouerâ—d such a solemne secrete to the yong petits of popery that onely veniall sinnes are clensed by purgatory that they are much beholding to you But lest your kitchen shoulde be colde if none but veniall sinnes should passe through the heate of purgatory you haue found out a sutle shifte howe to bring mortall sinnes also through the same pykes of purgatory for discharge of which you know men will bestow more cost then for release of those that with onely sprinckling of holy water as you wott well may be washed away Therefore mortall sinnes must be remitted in this life and then they may be purged in the fire of purgatory as being now become in the case of veniall sinnes O deepe mysteries reueiled out of the bottomlesse pitt which haue no grounde at all in the word of God but are manifestly ouerthrowne thereby euen from the foundations For the foundation of this doctrine is the distinction of veniall and mortall sinnes whereas the word of God plainly determineth that euery sinne is mortall and deserueth eternall death seeme it neuer so small Cursed is euery one that abideth not in all thinges that are written in the law to fulfill them Deu. 27. The soule that sinneth shall dye Eze. 18. The reward of sinne is death Rom. 6. And as for that distinction which S. Iohn maketh of a sinne to death a sinne not to death hath nothing common with that of the papistes for all sinne that by the mercy of God is pardonable he calleth a sinne not vnto death for which God is entreated that giueth life to them that haue so sinned And that sinne he counteth vnto death which is irremissible as obstinate wilful apostacy Heb. 6. blasphemy against the holy ghost Math. 12. c. for which it is not lawfull io pray Thus by iudgement of Gods word are all sinnes mortall which Papistes call veniall and all that they count mortall by Gods spirite are counted veniall For by the iustice of God all sinnes are mortall but by his mercy they are all pardonable except that sinne vnto death whereof S. Iohn speaketh 1. Ioan. 5. But to returne to M. Allens shift and to examine whether it will satisfie the iudgement of those olde writers which affirme that onely small and light offences are clensed by the fire of purgatory M. Allen sayth mortall sinnes become veniall by remission The Scripture teacheth that sinnes forgeuen are not imputed at all But M. Allens doctrine is that remission of sinnes doth not take sinnes away but onely chaungeth their nature from mortall to veniall yea he is not ashamed to vouch Augustine to warranty as though he should say that a mortall sinne forgiuen is become a veniall trespasse c. If all men were blinde this fellow would play trimly with their noses when he will be so bold with all men that can see Augustines wordes as he citeth them in Latine are these Quaedam enim sunt peccata quae mortalia sunt in poenitentia fiunt venialia that is there are some sinnes which are deadly of their owne nature but by repentaunce they are made veniall I haue translated them as he doth sauing that he calleth poenitentia penaunce which I to auoyd the ambiguitie of the english word as it is taken by the Papistes haue turned repentaunce Nowe is it all one to say that such sinnes as of their owne nature deserue death may yet be pardoned to him that repenteth which is the manifest meaning of Augustines wordes and that which M. Allen fathereth vpon him as though he said a mortall sinne forgeuen is become a veniall trespasse Againe this doctors wordes are playne of light and small offences and not of heynous and great offences that by pardon are made litle offences 2 VVell then to close vp briefely all this haue we founde by these scriptures alleaged that being diuerse degrees of men Purgatory apperteineth but to one sort First not to such as lacke the faith of Christ for they hauing no foundation are allready iudged neither to such as haue not builded vpon the foundatioÌ„ but rather defaced it with workes of death and deuilish doctrine For all these must like widdred branches be cast into the fire not to be purged but vtterly wasted There be yet other that kepe their foundation faste and worke there vpon both golde and siluer but yet abased and somewhat defiled by the mixture of other infirmities not sufficiently redressed in this life these must of necessity by Gods ordinaunce suffer the Purgation by fire that their workes purified and amended by the sentence of his iuste iudgement may at length by mercy and grace bring them to their desired ende Now the perfect estate which hauing this groundewarcke and building therevpon nothing for the most part but the tried fine workes of heauenly doctrine and perfect charity can not feare the fire as in whome it shall finde no matter of waste For if any drosse of seculare desires or worldly weakenesse was in their frailty contracted their fructefull penaunce in their life washed that away by the force of Christes bloude before the daye of our Lorde greate and fearefull came vpon them In which case God will not punish twise for one faulte nor entre into iudgement with such as haue iudged them selues to his hande These therefore thus guarded by Gods grace in whome onely
which remember your mysteries of iniquity and are witnesses of your detestable doinges And yet you do clame of the decay of vertue in our dayes which whether it haue suffered a greater diminishing then in the time of your blinde and blasphemous gouernment let them that haue knowen both the times consider diligently and iudge indifferently Finally where as you affirme that your aduersaries cōfesse that the dayes of Chrysostome were holy and vndefiled and woulde make young men boyes beleue so you must either bring forth your authors that so confesse or else all men both young and olde must saye you are a shamelesse lyer we confesse that in those dayes the onely foundation Iesus Christ was taught and the article of iustification by the onely mercy of God was preached but yet we affirme that much straw wodde and other impure matter was builded vpon the foundation which was a preparation to the kingdome of Antichrist which was not longe after to be reueiled It may be a shame for you Papistes to leaue and condemne for heresie all that is true in those mens writings and agreable to the scripture and to make such vaunt for a fewe superstitious ceremonies and vnsincere opinions which yet if eyther young or olde wil indifferently compare with your abhominations of desolation they shall easily perceiue that they differe as much from you as we from them Man may be relieued after his departure either by the almes vvhich he gaue in his life time or by that vvhich is prouided by his testament to be geuen after his death or els by that almes vvhich other men do bestovv for his soules sake of their ovvne goods CAP. V. 1 ANd we finde the workes of mercy and charitie to helpe the soule of man in this life towardes remission of his sinnes or els in the next worlde for release of paine due vnto the same sinnes All which may be donne two dayes ▪ first by thine owne hands or appointment liuing in this world which is the best perfectest and surest meanes that may be for that purgeth sinnes procureth mercy maketh frendes in the day of dreade cleanseth beforehand staieth the soule from death and lifteth it vp also to life euerlasting Regarde not here the ianglers that will crie out on thee that mans workes must not presume so farre as to winne heauen or to purge sinnes lest they intermeddle with Christes worke of redemption and the office of onely faith make no accompt of such corrupters of Christian conditions liue well and carefully followe these workes of mercy so expressely commaunded and cōmended in the scriptures kepe thee within the householde of the faithfull and thy very good conuersation in operibus bonis shall refute their vaine blastes and improue their idle faith Say but then vnto them by the words of S. Iames. Maister Protestaunt let me haue a sight of your onely faith with out good workes and here lo beholde mine and spare not by my good workes VVhat religion so euer you be of I know not but I woulde be of that religion which the Apostle calleth religionem mundam immaculatam The pure and vnspotted religion and that is as he affirmeth to viset the fatherlesse and succoure widowes in their neede And then tell them boldely that the Church of God hath instructed thee that all workes whereby man may procure helpe to him selfe or other be the workes of the faithfull which haue receiued that force by the grace and fauour of God and be through Christes bloude so wattered tempered and qualified that they may deserue heauen and remission of sinne Doubt not to tell them that they haue no sight in this darkenesse of heresie in the wayes of Gods wisedome they haue no feele nor tast of the force of his death they see not howe grace prepareth mans workes they can not reach in their infidelitie how wonderfully his death worketh in the Sacraments they can not attayne by any gesse how the deedes of a poore wretch may be so framed in the children of God that whereas of their owne nature they are not able to procure any mercy yet they now shall be counted of Christ him selfe sitting in iudgement worthy of blesse and life euerlasting Bidde them come in come in they shall feele with thee in simplicitie obedience that which they could not out of this society in the pride of contention euer perceiue And if they will not so doe let them perish alone Turning then from them thether where we were let vs practise mercy as I sayd in our owne time in our helth when it shall be much meritorious as proceeding not of necessitie but of freedom and good will. And then after our departure the representation of our charitable deedes by such as receiued benefite thereby shall exceedingly moue God to mercy as we see it did sturre vp the compassion of his Apostle in the fulfilling of so straunge a request VVhereupon S. Cyprian sayth that almes deliuereth often from both the second death which is damnation and the first which is of the body CAP. V. 1 NOw we shall see how many wayes almes proffiteth mens soules First almes giuen by a mans owne handes is allowed for the best but that my thinkes M. Allen shoulde kepe men out of your purgatory and not helpe them when they be there And here you will seeme to be zealous in exhorting men to almes and charge vs with iangling against it because we affirme that mens workes must not presume to winne heauen nor to purge sinnes nor to medle with Christes worke of redemption and the office of onely faith which assertions you call corruptions of Christian cōditions O blasphemous barking of an horrible helhound Doth the glory of Gods mercy and grace the worke of Christes redemption and the office of onely faith hinder almes or corrupt good conditions who seeth not although it be a foolish thing to boast of our works but that we are compelled by this sclaūderous tongue of yours who seeth not more true almes which is giuen for Gods cause in one citie where the Gospell is preached then in a whole cuntrey where popery is receiued Neither doe we refuse the triall of S. Iames with the proudest of the popish hypocrites that make most of their merites And because you would be of that religion that S. Iames calleth holy and vndefiled which is to visite the fatherlesse children and widowes in their affliction If I should speake of singular persons the triall were neither certayne nor possible let vs therefore consider the whole states Shew me M. Allen if thou canst for thy gutts or name me any city in the world where popery preuayleth that hath made such prouision for the fatherlesse children and widowes and all other kind of poore as is in the noble city of London and in diuers other cities and townes of this land and by publike law appoynted to be throughout all the realme of England I knowledge and
were approued in S. Augustines and S. Ambroses times abrogated and disanulled either because they were vnprofitable or else hurtful Last of all what superstitious vsages doth the church of Rome still approue euen such as the wiser sort of Papistes are ashamed of 5 Or that she suffereth any man damnably abusing her religion without open reprehension thereof proue any of these thinges and I recant THe true Church of Christ in such places as she is suffereth no man damnably abusing her Religion with out open â—eprehension as in the dayes of VValdo VVickleffe Husse c. whereof sufficient mention is made before but because she is not in all places at all times many men yea whole nations may damnably erre and not be reprehended of her As all the Mahometistes which occupie the greatest part of the world who doth or hath alwaies openly reprehended them And the Romish Church can well enough abide the true Religion of Christ to be damnably abused not onely without reprehension but also with allowing For when the Friars Dominicanes Franciscans had forged a newe Gospell out of the doctrine of Ioaâ—himus and the visions of Cyril which they called the Gospell of the holy Ghost the Gospell that should endure hereafter the euerlasting Gospell which diuilish gospell they affirmed to be so much more perfect then the Gospell of Christ as the Sunne is more perfect then the Moone a kernell of a nut before the shell yet did not the Church of Rome once reprehend it So that it was cultiued 55 yeares and at length set forth to be openly expounded in the Vniuersitie of Paris Anno Dom. 1255. without open reprehension of any but such as were counted heretikes for their labour As Gulielmus de S. Amore Gerardus Sagurellus c. And finally when the matter was brought before the Pope Anno Dom. 1256. by Gulielmus de S. Amore and other sent from the Vniuersitie of Paris the Pope and the Cardinalls tooke oâ—der that it shoulde be priuily burned and not openly reprehended for shaming their orders Mathaeus Paris Whereby it is clearely proued that the Romish Church hath suffered wicked men damnably to abuse Religion without open or priuie reprehension for the space of 55. yeares and at length without open reprehension when there was no remedie but it must needes be reprehended wherefore if there be any grace in you you will recant The 28. article conteyneth 3. demandes 1 If vnitie in Faith austeritie of life sharpe discipline great penance much fasting large almes godly deuotion obedience to higher powers grauitie and constancie in all cases be not the signes of the true Church IF you aske of true Faith repentance discipline c. these might be signes of the true Church but if you meane vnitie in any faith c as it seemeth by your wordes the Mahometistes and Turkes are the true Church for they haue vnitie in their faith austeritie of life sharpe discipline fasting almes deuotion obedience grauitie Constance c. as much or rather more then the popish church 2 Or be not more in our Church then in their Congregation I recant YOu haue not vnitie in true faith for you knowe not what it meaneth but are vtter enemies vnto it and in your owne principles there is no vnitie whether the Pope or the Councell be superior c. you may as all hypocrites pretende austeritie of life when you are most luxurious riotors as the world knoweth your discipline is not so sharpe but money wil make it blunt you haue great penance but no true repentance you haue much abstinence from meates which is the doctrine of diuills but you fast as litle as other men your almes are large but without faith and therefore sinne your deuotion is blinde and not godly but like her mother Ignorance you are disobedient to Christian Magistrates submitting your selues to Antichrist your grauitie and constancie in all cases is better commended of your self then knowne of other men Wherefore being voyde euen of these which you make the signes of the true Church you are none of the true Church except you recant 3 But if discorde in religion licentiousnes in lyuing contempt of Discipline reiecting of penance lothesomnesse of fasting lacke of zeale and deuotion disobedience to Magistrates sacriledge apostacie breach of vowes vnlawfull lustes wantonnesse in all life and maners if these thinges I say agree not better to the Protestants than the Catholikes or if these be not the plaine signes and fructes of a false church and doctrine I recant WE acknowledge that in the outward face of our church be many hypocrites chargeable with these crimes that you speake of and we yelde our selues guiltie before God of greuous offences that our life is not aunswerable vnto our doctrine Neuerthelesse we doubt not but God for Christ his sake will haue mercy vpon vs But if in life and conuersation we be compared with you Papistes euen the cheefest of your church as Popes Cardinalls Byshoppes Monkes c. We dare approue our life to be honester both before God and men You shall neuer be able to charge vs with such ryot whoredome adulterie incest sodomitry bestiality murther poysoning necromancie apostasie blasphemie c. as both the worlde seeth to ouerflowe in your Prelates at this daye and we are able to bring forth of your owne Cronicles and Hystories to haue ben committed in times past wherefore for very shame leaue of this comparison We meinteine no stewes neither of males nor females we set forth no bookes in commendation of Sodomitry we exact no tribute of Courâ—isans to kepe open bawdrie we priuiledge no writinges that teache men to committe vylanie worthy of a thousand deathes Therefore be not so impudent to charge vs with these crimes aboue the Papistes but rather forsake that filthie whore the mother of all fornication and recant The 29. article conteyneth 8. demandes 1 Let any Protestant in the worlde proue vnto me that their church coulde rightly be called Catholike which was so particular that no man aliue coulde name a place where any such church was WHy might not our Church when it was most hidden be as rightly called Catholike as the Church of the Apostles when it was so particular that it was coÌ„teined in the narrow bondes of Iury for it is not called Catholike because it shoulde be euery where for that it neuer was nor shal be But because that where so euer it be in partes it is one body of christ The Popish church is not in euery parte of the worlde For Mahomets sect is in the greatest parte Many cuntries are Idolaters and the most parte of them that professe the name of Christ are not in the felowship of the Popish church And whereas you saye that no man aliue coulde name the place where it was you make an impudent lye For although it were vnknowen to the Papistes and enemies thereof yet was it knowen to the true members therof It was in Italie wheÌ„
discharged by vs One for some satisfaction of Gods iustice as though the satisfaction of Christ were imperfect An other to answere the Church of her right as S. Augustine sayth In deede the olde discipline of the Church required that open offenders should not onely repent priuatly before God but also shew open signes of harty repentaunce for satisfying the Church by whom they were to be receaued as before their repentaunce they were cast out And in this sense satisfaction is often vsed by the auncient fathers and not to fulfill the righteousnes of God either by doing or suffering of any thing Seeing therefore that Godâ— iustice is throughly satisfied by Christes suffering there remayneth no satisfaction to be supplyed by men For the afflictions of the faithfull are tâ—e matter of their patience and conformitie with Christ their head the punishments that are inflicted vpon them are the corrections of mercy not the satisfactions of iustice There remaineth therefore no temporall punishment for satisfying of Gods iustice in our life and much lesse after our death 2 And this to be the graue doctrine and constant faith of the fathers I must first declare both for that it shall firmly establish our whole matter and clearely open the case of controuersie betwixt vs and the forsaken company VVho would so gladly liue at ease in their onely faith that they list nether satisfie for their sinnes nor procure Gods mercy by well working In this case then let vs seeke the ordre of Gods iustice by the diligent consideration of some notable persâ—nages of whome we may haue by the plaine Scripture euident testimonie both of the remission of their sinnes and their penaunce and punishment after they were reconciled againe Our first father Adam in whome we may beholde almost the whole course of Gods iudgement and through whome both sinne and all punishment due for sinne entred into the world I thinke he had the first benefite by Christes death for the remission of his disobedience or at the least because I woulde not auouch an vncertain thing this I am sure that by Christ he was raised vp to Gods fauour againe Of whome we finde it thus written in the booke of wisdome Haec illum qui primus formatus est pater orbis terrarum cum solus esset creatus custodiuit eduxit illum a delicto suo This saith he meaning by Christ vnder the name of wisedom safely preserued him that was first formed of God the father of the world when he was created all alone and raysed him out of his sinne again The which disobedience with what other sinne so euer was thereunto in him ioyned though it was thus clearly pardoned yet the punishment thereof both he felt long after in his owne person and it lieth vpon his posterity till this day For which sinne he him selfe began to doe penaunce as Irenaeus saith euen in paradise and then God practised iudgement vpon him as Augustine noteth first by his disinheritaunce then by painfull trauell inioyned by the vnaptnesse of the earth to serue his turne by rebellion of the inferiour creatures by the troublesom motions of his owne affections briefly in all pointes by a lothsom life and a dreadfull death Yea and that his punishment ceased not in this world by his death but many hundreth yeares after remained as further condemnation of his disobedience I shall more conueniently anone declare Now seeking further to haue cleare and open euidence in this case we can not wish more proofe then may be had by the straung working and dispensation of God in the manifold affaires of that sanctified people and chosen nation of the Israelites In which peoples perpetuall protection a man might finde a perfect platte of mercy and iudgement So often they fall so sodenly they rise so grieuously they offend such mercy they finde that it is maruelous to consider Of this elect family therefore thus God speaketh Si autem dereliquerint filij eius legem meam in iudicijs meis non ambulauerint visitabo in virga iniquitates eorum in verberibus peccata eorum misericordiam autem meam non dispergam ab eo neque nocebo in veritate mea If his children reiect my lawe and walke not in my iudgements with rodde will I visit their wickednes and in stripes their sinnes yet will I not take my mercy from him or them as it is also redde nor harme him in my truth This people at their first passage out of Egypt committing horrible idolatry was pardoned thereof at the instance of Moises yet so saith our Lord God vnto him Ego autem in die vltionis visitabo hoc peccatum eorum But yet in the day of reuengement I will visit this their offence also The same people offending greuously again by murmure and mistrust of Gods carefull prouidence towards them at their Gouernours humble sute were expresly forgiuen in these wordes Dimisi iuxta verbum tuum I haue pardoned them according to thy word But after their assured warraunt for the full remission of the fault the eternall paine due to that greeuous sinne behold yet their punishment temporall for the same Attamen omnes homines qui viderunt maiestatem c. For all that saith our Lord euery one that hath seene my maiesty and the wonders which I wrought in Egypt in the wildernes yet hath notwithstanding tempted me tenne times shall not beholde the land for which I bound my selfe by oth to their forefathers But passing the peoples sinne Moises and Aron them selfe in many pointes minister aboundant profe of this matter VVho both dying in perfect fauour of God yet for their mistrust were discharged of guiding Gods people or entring them selfe into the land so hartely desired and so long loked for before Of these two the Prophet sayth thus Custodiebant testimonia eius praeceptum quod dedit illis Deus tu propitius fuisti eis vlciscens in omnes adinuentiones eorum They obserued his testimonies and the charge that he gaue vnto them Lord God thou wast mercifull vnto them and sharply reuenged their owne inuentions The like ordinaunce of Gods iustice in punishment of such as he highly fauoured may appeare in Samson in Hely all other notorious personages in the whole Scripture But the heartely beloued of God King Dauids example so beareth downe our aduersaries that I can not wel omit it though I now long to be nearer my matter This Prophet had an expresse pardon with a plaine prouiso that he should notwithstanding beare the heauy hand of God for the punishment of his former sinne Once for taking pride in the multitude and numbring of his people God though he pardoned him yet by the prophet God gaue him leaue to chuse of thre named scourges which he would to whom he answered Coarctor nimis sed melius est incidere in manus Domini multae enim sunt misericordiae
eius I am sore vrged but better it is to fall into Gods handes for his mercyes be exceding many And so according to his election he had many thousandes of his people perished by Gods plague Of whose case S. Gregory sayth maruelous much in these fewe wordes Deus delictum delet sed inultum non deserit peccato non parcitur quia sine vindicta non laxatur God wypeth away mannes offence but he leaueth it not vnpunished sinne is not spared because it is not without reuenge released But before this he had a full warrant of remission of his horrible murder and adultery by the Prophet Nathan saying vnto him thus after his repentaunce Dominus quoque transtulit peccatum tuum nonmori eris veruntamen quoniam blasphemare fecisti inimicos nomen Domini propter verbum hoc filius qui natus est tibi morte morietur Our Lord hath remoued thy sinne neuerthelesse because thou hast made thenimies blaspheme our Lordes name by this worde thy sonne which is borne vnto thee shall dye the death Of which matter S. Augustine by occasion talking against Faustus asketh what maner of pardon it was that the Prophet brought from God vnto Dauid And he answereth thus Ad quam rem nisi ad sempiternam salutem neque enim praetermissa est in illo secundum Dei comminationem flagelli paterni disciplina To what ende else had he his pardon but to euerlasting-saluation For he scaped not the scourge of his fathers discipline according as the threatning of God before did portend All the forsaâ—d examples then being so euident they must needes conclude this assuredly that after our offences be remitted there commonly yet remaineth some paine and right debt to be discharged by the offenders punishment before he receiue the ample benefite of eternall saluation 2 Now commeth in the colourable confirmation of this false proposition and that by examples of the holy Scripture which must therefore more diligently be wayed because they are so seldom alleged But first he must rayle a crash at the forsaken Protestantes which would so gladly liue at ease in their onely faith that they list neither to satisfie for their sinnes nor to procure Gods mercy with good workes Doubtles M. Allen they list not by seeking to iustifie them selues procure to be forsaken of god But you Papistes are they that seeke to iustifie your selues like the olde pharisees and boast of your prayers fastings and satisfactions but God knoweth what you are within As for our onely faith shall stand before God when your infidelity shall condemne you and the fruites of our onely faith shall appeare to Gods glory when the vayne bragge of your meritorius workes shal be discouered to your eternall shame But to come to your examples I must admonish the Reader that neither your wit memory diligence nor learning deserueth any commendations for alleging them that haue so often before bene abused by all them that of your side haue defended your cause of whom you are but a translator or borower not an author or obseruer your self And therefore I might iustly referre the Reader to the learned and godly aunswers of so many as haue impugned this heresie before but because euery man either can not or will not seeke further then this booke I will briefly aunswere euery example as it is an easy matter to doe they are so vnfitly applyed to the purpose for which they are alleged The first example is of our first parent Adam whose sinne though it were pardoned through Christ yet he and all his posterity feeleth the punishment thereof An argument very farre fetched to maintayne the paynes of purgatory The miseries of this life in that they be common to the godly with the wicked they sufficiently declare that they are no satisfaction for sinne but a demonstration of our miserable condition to humble vs make vs desirous of restitution by christ And although they were enioyned by the curse of God against sinne yet to those that are deliuered from the curse of God by the blessed seede Iesus they also are conuerted into blessings Hereof the godly reioyse in afflictions knowing that afflictions worke patience patience worketh trial triall hope and hope confoundeth not yea by them we are made conformable vnto Christ that suffering with him we may raigne with him Rom. 5. 8. As for that which Adam suffered after his death when you haue declared it then will I also confute it Next followeth the examples of the Israelites which often fell were punished and rose againe The former example was not so farre of in tyme as this is in matter for that example although it were impertinent yet it had some similitude with the cause for that Adam was pardoned and yet bare some part of punishmeÌ„t But here are brought in the whole people among whom many were wicked and commonly more hypocrites then true Israelites and yet the very text alleged out of the 88. Psalme declareth that the godly children which were punished were chastised in mercy and not condemned by iustice And as for the saying of god Exod. 32. that notwithstanding he had pardoned the Israelites yet he would visit their sinne in the day of vengeance litle helpeth the matter For the pardon was generall to the whole people that he would not destroy them from being a nation as appeareth in the 14. verse of that chapter but not perticular to euery one that he would remitte their sinne take them into his fauour as appeareth verse 33. where he sayth that who so euer had sinned he would put him out of his booke The same answere serueth for the like text Num. 14. But Moises Aaron are examples of this matter most manifest I answere to the punishment of Moises Aaron as to the punishment of all other faithfull persons they were not to satisfie the iustice of God but to declare his mercy in admonishing them and others by their examples how odious sinne is vnto him and yet euen the chastisement of God is a benefite vnto his children not onely because it is a signe of his fatherly loue toward them but also because he conuerteth it alwaies vnto their reward and profit As in the example of Moises and Aaron it was a fatherly rodde to discharge them of guiding Gods people and entring into the lande of promise but in the meane time it was a great benefite that they were discharged of a heauy and troublesome burden and entred sooner into that land of eternall life whereof the other was but a signe and shadow And therefore the Psalmist sayth iustly of them that God was mercifull vnto them in reuenging their inuentions But because S. Augustines words may be of more credit with you he sayth of the death of Moises Aaron that they were signa futurorum non supplicia indignationis Dei. Signes of things to come not punishments of Gods displeasure Quaestion Num. lib. 4. Quest. 53. But the
plainly confirme it as is before noted and none of them all confute it 3 But now the other sorte which be more curteise and confesse that in this world the iust may suffer of reason for his sinnes already remitted but not in the next life as their doctrine is very vntrue so it geueth great liceÌ„se and liberty to euill liuerâ— and is the very mother of presumption For if man were suere to be discharged at his departure hense of all paine for his sinnes then certes were it madnesse to trauell in this life further for his offensies then he must of necessitie Yea more it maketh the case of greuous sinners till the houre of their death so that they then at last repent much better then of small offenders conuerted longe before For these must be punished in their life the other can not be punished as these suppose after their death VVhat a vaine absurdity is this that the prophet offending once or twise in all his time shoulde suffer so heuie iudgement and the party which abideth in wickednesse till the ende of his life when sinne rather leaueth him then he sinne must because of his late conuersion without paine be caried at ease to heauen This is not doubtlesse semely to Gods iustice and ordinaunce whose wayes be truth and vprightnesse Est apud iudicem iustum poenae moderatio non solum pro qualitate sed etiam pro quantitate To a iust iudge there must be consideration had of punishment both for the quality quantity so saith Origine And the holy Scripture thus Quantum glorificauit se in delitijs fuit tantum date illi tormentum luctum Looke how high she exalted her selfe and how delicatly she liued and geue her so much woe and torment againe It is spoken as of Babylon in the reuelations of Saint Iohn And because this toucheth our matter and the very point thereof I will stand with the aduersarie the longer Here then I aske him why God taketh punishment in this worlde for sinne already remitted His aunswere must needes be for the reuenge and hatered of sinne and satisfying of iustice Nowe then doth God practise iudgement and iustice no where but in this worlde Or if it be not here aunswered because of lacke of space or late reconciliation of the offender shall our lorde of necessitie be forced to remitte the debte and release his sentence of iustice for lacke of meanes to punish in an other worlde No no Gods haÌ„de is not abbridged by the termes of this life Late repentaunce can be a benefit to no man God forbid it shoulde Especially seing punishment and iudgement for sinne as many learned do suppose and as reason with scripture beareth properly apperteineth not to this worlde but by a speciall grace and singular benefite which God of pity graunteth to such as he loueth that they may here preuent his anger which else in the next life should be found more greeuous where properly is the reward of sinne and iudgement kept ordinarily for the same As it is playne mercy grace when man may take punishment of him selfe as S. Paule sayeth and be his owne correctour to auoyde the iudgement of god And thereof the next life is termed commonly dies Domini where there is no place for our working but sufferance alone where the accompt of mans life must be straitly required and the sinnes euen of the iust not otherwise amended sharpely visited Therefore if Melanthon graunt that the righteous and reconciled persons may iustly beare the scourge of God for satisfying for their sinnes before pardoned in this world where though punishment be exercised for wickednesse properly yet at the least not so ordinarily as in the next wher God hath layd vp the great store of rewarde as wel for the good as the badde he must needes by force of reason acknowledge that the world to come is no lesse if it be not more appoynted of our Lord for iust iudgeing of our faultes forgiuen then the time of this present life whereas many an euill liuer escapeth all punishment so diuerse of great vertue suffer full greeuous torments Excellently well sayd S. Augustine Multa mala hic videntur ignosci nullis supplicijs vindicari sed eorum poenae reseruantur in posterum c much euill may seeme here to be pardoned and without all punishment released but the payne for such thinges is reserued til the world to come 3 He ascribeth more curtesie to the other sort whose opinion is of his owne framing but yet they please him not altogither because their doctrine geueth licence to euill liuers For if a man were sure to be discharged at his death for all payne for his sinne then it were madnes to trauaile further for his offences in this life then he must needes M. Allen speaketh here according to his owne affection the sence of all Papistes which will take no paynes to please God but onely for their profite they will not bestow one halfe peny for the loue of God nor suffer a fillippe for the glory of God but for the satisfaction of their sinnes and increase of their merittes And therefore that which is the chiefe cause that doth and ought to moue and the principall ende for which all godly men are moued to seeke to please God by good workes namely the loue of God and the glory of God the Papistes thinke to preuaile with no man because they are voyd of it them selues But may not a man now iustly enforce that the opinion of purgatory satisfactions of sinnes after this life is the very doctrine of licentiousnes to maintayne wicked men in their presumptuousnes For what hast will they make to amendement newnes of life when they haue hope of release after their death The other absurdity riseth of deuilish enuy that God shoulde be more liberall to them that repent at the houre of death then to them that were but small offenders conuerted long before And therefore M. Allen I wil aunswere you as the housholder aunswered those murmurers which grudged that they which wrought but an houre were made equall in reward with those that had borne the burthen heat of the day Is thy eye euil because God is good is it not lawfull for him to doe what he will with his owne Matth. 20. But this is that which alway deceiueth the papistes because they measure the reward by iustice and not by mercy I thinke M. Allen is angry with Christ that he did not send the penitent theefe into purgatory but euen that day promised to be with him in paradise For Origen is alleged to proue that a iust Iudge must haue consideration of punishment both for quality and quantity He neuer thinketh of Châ—ist all this while who was striken for our sinnes and wounded for our iniquities in whose punishment God had regard of such quality and quantity as his iustice required Es. 53. For the
and good workes shew their coÌ„uersion not only by wordes but in deed and in trueth c. With them the Byshop maie deale more gently whereas those that thinke it is sufficient onely to enter into the Church are charged in any wise to keepe the ordinary time c. Wherefore he that gathereth that paines are due to sinnes after remission of them by example of them that remitted no sinnes but after sufficient paines suffered for them or amendes made for them I holde him not onely malitious blinde but beastly vnreasonable 4 And if any man yet doubt why or to what end the Church of Christ thus greuousely tormenteth her owne children by so many meanes of heuy correction whome she might by good authoritie freely release of their sinnes let him assuredly know that she coulde not so satisfie Gods iustice alwayes by whome she holdeth her authoritie to edifie and not to destroye to bynd as well as to loose Although such dolour for offensies committed and so earnest zele may she sometimes finde in the offender that her chiefe and principall pastors may by their soueraigne authoritie wholy discharge him of all paines to come But els in the commoÌ„ case of Christian men this penaunce is for no other cause enioyned but to saue them from the more greuous torment in the worlde following In the which sense S. Augustine both speaketh him selfe and proueth his meaning by the Apostles wordes as followeth Propterea de quibusdam temporalibus poenis quae in hac vita peccantibus irrogantur eis quorum peccata delentur ne reseruentur in finem ait Apostolus si enim nosmetipsos iudicaremus a domino noÌ„ iudicaremur Cum iudicamur autem a domino corripimur ne cum hoc mundo dâ—mnemur Therefore sayth he it is of certaine temporall afflictions which be laid vpon their neckes that being sinners haue their trespasses pardoned lest they be called to an accompt for them at the latter ende that the Apostle meaneth by when he sayth If we woulde iudge our selues we shoulde not then be iudged of our lord And when we be iudged of our Lord then are we chastened that we be not damned with the worlde This onely carefull kindnesse of our mother therefore that neuer remitted sinne that was notorious in any age but after sharp punishment or earnest charge with some proportionall penaunce for the same doth not onely geue vs a louing warning to beware and preuent that heuie correction of the worlde to come which S. Paule calleth the iudgement of God because it is a sentence of iustice but also in her owne practise here in earth of mercy in pardoning of iustice in punishment she geueth vs a very cleare example of both the same to be vndoubtedly looked for at the handes of God him selfe by whome in the kingdome of the Church these both in his behalfe be profitably practised For if there were no respect of the dredfull day in the ende of our life nor any paine further due for sinnes remitted in the next world then were it cruell arrogancy in the ministers to charge men with penaunce needlesse to the offender and foly to the sufferer But God forbid any shoulde be so malipert or misbeleuing as to miscredit the doinges and doctrine of the Catholike Church which by the authoritie she hath to binde sinnes and the protection of the holy Ghost hath vsed this rodde of correction to the profit of so many and hurte of none euer sence our maisters death and departure 4 Marke here gentle reader what an absolute power of remissioÌ„ of sinns this Papist doth ascribe to the Church that she might he sayth by good authority freely release men of their sinnes with out satisfying of Gods iustice but that she will not except in some case where she findeth such dolour and zeale in the offender that her chiefe and principall Pastors may by there soueraine authoritie wholy discharge him of all paines to come Marke here the soueraigne authoritie of the Pope not subiect no not to the iustice of god For els how should the Popes pardons stand or Christes merites be excluded if the Pope had not power to doe by his soueraigne authority that Christ coulde not doe by his bitter passion to discharge penitent sinners of all paines to come you see therefore that the Popish church is not as a wife subiect to Christ her spouse to exercise on earth the authoritie of Christ in heauen according to his will but a presumptuous harlot to claime soueraigne authoritie in earth wherevnto he is bounde which is in heauen For otherwise though the olde fathers that were most earnest in maintaining the Churches authoritie as Cyprian Sermo de lapsis speaking against theÌ„ which thought it was sufficient if they were receiued by the ordinary authoritie of the Church although they were not truely penitent writeth thus Nemo se fallat nemo decipiat Solus dominus misereri potest veniam peccatis quae in ipsum commissa sunt solus potest ille largiri qui peccata nostra portauit qui pro nobis doluit quem Deus tradidit pro peccatis nostris Homo Deo esse non potest maior nec remittere aut donare indulgentia sua seruus potest quod in dominum delicto grauiore commissum est ne adhuc lapso hoc accedat ad crimen si nesciat esse praedictum Maledictus homo qui spem habet in homine Dominus orandus est dominus nostra satisfactione placandus est qui negantem negare se dixit Let no man sayth he deceiue him selfe let no man begile him selfe It is onely the Lorde that can shew mercy Onely he can graunt pardon to offenses that are coÌ„mitted against him who hath borne our sinnes Who hath suffered sorrow for vs whome God hath geuen for our sinnes A man can not be greater then God neither can the seruaunt by his indulgence remit or forgeue that which by so great offence is committed against the Lorde lest this offence also be added to him that is fallen away if he know not that it is fore shewed Cursed is that man that putteth his trust in man The Lorde must be intreated the Lorde must be pacified with our satisfaction which sayth he doth deny that man that denieth him In these wordes Cyprian not onely plainely denieth that absolute soueraigne authoritie of men which M. Allen affirmeth but also declareth what he meaneth by satisfactioÌ„ of god Namely that those which counterfected repentaunce and though by some outwarde obseruations to satisfie the Church might know they had to doe with God who was not pleased but with inwarde and harty conuersion whose knowledge they must satisfie with true repentaunce in deede as they seeke to satisfie iudgement of the Church by externall signes and tokens thereof But to returne to the common case of Christian men for the Popes cases be out of the common case of christen men M. Allen sayth penaunce and by penaunce he
still meaneth punishment is for no other cause enioined but to saue them from more greeuous torment in the world following In deede true repentaunce deliuereth men from eternall torments but what is this to purgatory euen as much as the saying of Augustine by him alleged where he sayth that God punisheth in this life with temporall paynes those whose sins are pardoned lest they should be reserued in finem that is for euer which is to be chastised by the Lord lest we should be damned with the world of which matter enough hath bene sayd already To conclude this chapter because the wordes following contayne nothing but a vayne repetition of that which he hath often sayd before the censure of excommunication with the power of binding and loosing remayneth still inuiolable to the Church nowe the opinion of purgatory is ouerthrowne as it did before the doctrine of purgatory euer came into the world That the manyfolde vvorkes and fructes of penaunce vvhich all godly men haue charged them selues vvith all for their ovvne sinnes remitted vvere in respect of Purgatory paines and for the auoiding of Gods iudgement temporall as vvell as eternall in the next life CAP. IIII. 1 THere be of the Epicures of our time that seeing the vsuall practise of penaunce not onely by the Churches prescription but also by mans owne voluntary acceptation openly to tende towardes the trueth and proofe of Purgatory haue boldely improued not withstanding the expresse counsell of the Apostle where he willeth vs to iudge our selues all chastisement of our bodies as vnnaturall torments to the iniury of our owne person and the excellencie of our nature CAP. IIII. 1 THat a detestable error may be defended with a shamelesse lye he beginneth this chapter with a deuilish sclaunder He reporteth that Melancthon but sheweth no place where lest his impudent lye might be euidently reproued doth boldely improue all chastisement of our bodies as vnnaturall torments to the iniury of our person and the excellencye of our natuâ—e and in a maner he is as bold with S. Paule whose expresse counsayle he sayth is that men should chastise their bodyes where he willeth to iudge them selues As though it were all one for men to iudge them selues and to chastise their bodies In deede else where S. Paule coÌ„maundeth and by his example commendeth christian chastisement of mens bodyes by abstinence and fasting and that not for feare of purgatory but for daunger of eternal damnation This doe I sayth he for the Gospells sake that I may be made partaker of it and agayne I chastise my body and bring it in subiection lest while I preach to others I my selfe should become a castaway 1. Cor. 9. So that all godly men did not chastise their bodyes in respect of the auoyding of the temporall paynes of purgatory as M. Allen affirmeth in the title of this chapter but contrariwise all godly men that followed S. Paules doctrine and example had also the same respect that he had But to returne to Melancthon it may be that in some place of his writinges he improueth the immoderate exercise of bodily chastisement by which some haue killed them selues some made them selues leapers some made them selues vnable to execute the office of ecclesiasticall administration whereunto they were called by god But in these cases he hath S. Paule for his warraunt who forbiddeth Timothe the drinking of water and willeth him to vse a litle wine because of his stomacke and his often infirmities assuring him that such bodily exercise profiteth but a litle 1. Tim. 4. 5. But that Melancthon improueth all godly chastisement of mens bodies and for godly purposes it will neuer be proued vntill M. Allen haue brought purgatory with all men in as great credit as euer it was with any man. 2 Against these corruptors of Christian condicions vertuous life though the examples of all faithful worshippers of God sence the worlde beganne do clearely stande yet the notable history of the Prophet Dauids repaire after his heuy faule because it hath an especiall warrant of his pardon a plaine processe in penaunce a goodly platte of due handeling the sores of our sinns after they be remitted and conteineth a manifest feare of Purgatory shall best serue our turne This Prophet then though he was assured of his pardon and afterwarde as I saide before by Gods owne hande punished yet crieth out with abundant teares Amplius laua me ab iniquitate mea a peccatis meis munda me More and more washe me from my iniquitie and of my sinnes purge me cleane Dauid offended sayth S. Ambrose as kinges commonly do but he did penaunce he wept he groned as kinges lightly do not he confessed his fault he asked mercy and throwing him selfe vpon the harde grounde bewailed his misery fasted praide and so protested his sorow that he left the testimony of his confessioÌ„ to all the world to come VVhat moued this blessed man by Gods owne mouth pardoned of his sinnes so to torment him selfe That happy awe and deepe feare of Gods iudgement in the next world which the cursed security of this sweete poisoned doctrine of our dayes hath now taken awaye euen that necessary feare of the thinges that might faule vnto him in the next life caussed this holy prince and prophet so to vexe and molest him selfe It was hell it was Purgatory that this penitent did beholde either of which he knew his sinnes did well deserue S. Augustine shall beare me witnesse in wordes worthy of all memory Yea the Prophets owne wordes vttered in a bitter prayer and a Psalme full of sorow shall beare me witnesse thus sayth S. Augustine Haec iste grauiora formidans excepta vita ista in cuius malis plangit gemit rogat dicit Domine ne in surore tuo arguas me neque in ira tua corripias me Non sum inter illos quibus dicturus es ite in ignem aeternum qui praeparatus est diabolo angelis eius Neque in ira tua emendes me vt in hac vita me purges ralem me reddas cui emendatorio igne opus noÌ„ sit This man besides the miseries of this life in which he was when he thus houleth wepeth further maketh sute and sayth O Lorde rebuke me not in thy furie let me not be one of them to whome thou shalt saye awaye from me in to fier perpetuall which is prouided for the Deuill and his aungels Neither yet correct me in thy wrath but so purge me in my life time and wholy frame me that at length I may haue no neede of the AmeÌ„ding fier So farre speaketh this doctor By whome we may learne that Dauid after sharpe punishment taken first at Gods hande and then in the middest of many miseries of this mortall life did yet before hande beholde the horrible iudgements in the next worlde the one for the damned soules and spirites the other for the amendement of such as God
present it selfe before the seate of Gods glory nor stand in his sight that hath any blemish of sinne any spotte of corruption any remnaunt of infirmity There may no creature matche with those perfect pure natures of spirituall substance in the happy seruice of the holy Trinity that is not holy as they be pure as they be and wholy sanctified as they be Nothing can ioyne with them in freedome of that heauenly city in the ioyfull estate of that triumphant common welth that is not purified to the point and by the worke of Gods owne hande fully fined and perfected This is the new City of Hierusalem which the holy Apostle sawe by vision Nec in eam intrabit aliquid coinquinatum Nothing shall entre therein that is defiled It is the Church without spotte and wrinkle it is the temple of God it is the seate of the Lambe and the lande of the lyuing Nowe our kinde notwithstanding our pitifull fall and singular frailetie with exceding corruption and vnaptenesse both of body and soule hath yet by Christ Iesus our Redeemer the assurance of this vnestimable benefit and the fellowship of perpetual fruition with the Angels To whome as we must be made equall in roume and glory so we must in perfect cleannes be fully matched with them For it were not agreable to Gods ordinary iustice who in this earthly sanctuary expressely forbiddeth the oblations of the vncleane that he shoulde in the celestiall soueraigne holy acknowledge any nature that were not pure and vndefiled or make mans condicion not abettered equall to the dignity of Angels that neuer were reproued whereby vniustice might appeare in God or confusion in the heauens common wealth where onely all ordre is obserued And though mans recouery after his fall be wroght by Christ. and the perfect purgation of sinnes by the bloude of him that only was with out sinne yet it was not conuenient that the might of that mercy shoulde worke in this freedome of our willes with out all peine of the party or trauell of the offenders VVhereof mān streight vpon his miserable downe fall as S. Ambrose excellently well noteth had warning by the fiery sworde holden at the entraunce of paradise therby putting him in remembraunce that the returne to blesse so sone lost shoulde be through fiere and sword hardely achieued againe Therfore if any man thinke the onely forgiuenesse of our sinnes past sufficient either for the recouery of our first degree or the atteining of further dignity in the glory of the Sainctes he seeth not at all what a deepe stroke sinne hath set in mans soule what filth and feeblenesse it hath wroght in the body what rule and dominion it beareth in this our mortality what care all perfect men haue had not only in the healing of the deepe wounde but also in purging the reliques and fall abbating the abundant matter thereof And yet when mā hath with all his might wrastled with the poure of sinne being in this estate he can not be able to recouer the worthinesse of his creation much lesse the passing honour and ende of his redemption Let him washe and water his coutch with teares let him weaken his body with fasting and humble his hearte with sorow Happely the fiery sworde shall not hinder his passage after his departure yet till the separation of the body and the soule full freedome from sinne or perfect purgation thereof excepting the priuilege of certaine can not be fully obteined VVherein yet mercy at the ende hath the chiefe stroke by which the soule that was the principall vessell of sinne and no lesse abased then the body shall out of hande in the perfectest sort obteine the purity of Angels and fellowship with them for euer CAP. VI. 1 ONce againe I pray you note this orderly proceding looke when he maketh such a liberall promisse as in the chapter going before the performance shal not follow by and by after but by interlacing of other matter it shall be first out of minde and then he may better keepe his credit when he goeth about to performe it Yere while he would in all the hast make direct proofe by holy Scripture of the doctrine of purgatory but now as though purgatory were already proued he will shewe for what vse it serueth namely to clense and qualifie the soule of man that it may be meete to enter into the holy places And for this purpose he sheweth at large which might haue bene vttered in briefe that the corruption of mans sinnefull nature is so great and the perfection of dignitie whereunto we are called so high as man except he be throughly purged is no meete person to be partaker therof But lest he should be thought here to forget the perfect restitution by Christ he confesseth the perfect purgation of our sinnes to be wrought by his blood yet he sayth it is not meete that the might of that mercy should worke in this freedom of our will without all paine or trauell of the offenders This is to geue with one hand and to pull away with the other hand But that this enemy of the crosse of Christ shall not thus passe away with his reseruations and exceptions that which he graunteth we will take at the hand of God and not of this vnpure blasphemer who by his holy spirite teacheth vs that the blood of Christ doth purge vs from all our sinnes being washed by him we are throughly cleane Iohn 13. So that although our sinnes were as redd as scarlet they are made as white as snowe Esay 1. Then being throughly purged washed clensed as white as snow we are made capable of the heauenly inheritaunce and the fruition of eternall glory And if any man had rather beleue an Angell before M. Allen an elder of the heauenly consistory sooner then a yong palting proctor of purgatory Let him heare what is sayd to S. Iohn in his reuelation 7. cap. whereby is declared by what priuilege al the faithfull departed appeare in innocency before the throne of god These are they sayth the Angel that came out of that great affliction and haue washed their stoles and made them white in the bloud of the lambe therefore they are in the presence of the throne of God and serue him day and night c. Mark here that they which came out of this great affliction were not purged thereby after M. Allens fantasy but that they washed and made white their garments in the bloud of the lambe by whose righteousnes they being clothed may appeare in innocēcy before the throne of god As for that which is cited out of Ambrose of the fiery sword is ment of the sorrow of repentaunce and with no equity can be racked to the paynes of purgatory 2 I maruell not now to see the Prophet seeke not only for the remission of his greuous sinnes but to be better cleansed to haue them wholy blotted out to be made as
white as snowe beholding the purity that is requisite for a citizen of the celestiall Hierusalem And I note this the rather of the soule because I see that the body also before it can shake of the stroke and plague of sinne must be driuen by the common course to dust and elementes that being at the ende raised vp againe in the same substance may yet wholy in condicion and quality be so straungely altered that in honour and immortalitie it may euerlastingly ioyne with the soule againe To the newnesse whereof the very elements that before aunswered it in qualities of corruption shal be perfectly by fire reformed and serue in beauty and incorruption eternall If sinne then be so reuenged and throughly tryed out of mans body and all corruption out of these elements for the glory of that new and eternall kingdome shall we doubte of Gods iustice in the perfect reuenge of sinne in the soule or purifying that nature which as it was most corrupted was the very feate of sinne so namely apperteineth to the company of Angels and glory euerlasting It were not otherwise agreable to Gods iustice surely nor conuenient for the glorious estate to come it were neither right nor reason He will then where man neglecteth the day of mercy sharply viset with torment him selfe and both purge and purifie the drosse of our impure natures defiled and stained by sinne with iudgement and rightuousnesse Abluet Dominus sordes filiarum Syon sanguinem Hierusalem lauabit de medio eius in spiritu iudicij spiritu ardoris Our Lorde shall washe out the filthe of the daughters of Syon and will cleanse bloude from the middest of Hierusalem in the spirite of iudgement and the spirite of burning But because we will not stande vpon coniectures in so necessary a point you shall see by what Scriptures the graue and learned fathers haue to my hand confirmed this beleued trueth And first I will recite those places which do set forth both the quality and condition of that punishment which God taketh vpon man for sinne in the other worlde and also did giue iust occasion to our forefathers of the name of Purgatory 2 Consider what wholsome doctrine this student in Diuinitie gathereth out of the Scriptures of god Dauid not content with remission of his sinnes seeketh to be better clensed to haue them wholy blotted out and to be made as white as snowe â–ª but by what meanes M. Allen or at whose handes Dare you say that he prayeth God to clense him better by his owne suffering then he was by Gods mercifull pardon What was figured by the bunch of Isope dypped in the lambes bloud with which he desireth to be sprinckled assuring him selfe that therby he shall be washed whiter then snowe Was it purgatory or the aspertion of the bloud of Christ O horrible blasphemer wilt thou neuer acknowledge the omnisufficiency of the benefite of mans redemption by the sonne of God shal thy vayne gangling and iumbling of thy deuises with Gods decrees obscure the glory of our Lord and Sauiour Christ his passion who hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes by his bloud and made vs Kings and Priestes in the sight of God who hath geuen him selfe for his beloued Church that he might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water through the word that he might make it vnto him self a glorious church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blame What similitude hath this with Allens pratling of purenesse and patching in of purgatory As for the place alleged out of Esay the 4. Because he dare not abide by it him selfe but confesse that it is but a coniecture of his own to draw it to purgatory which in deede is playnly spoken of the reformation of the Church in this life I neede spend no more tyme in aunswering it 3 There be two textes of Scriptures to this purpose so like that many of the doctors for better conference in so weighty a case haue ioyned them together to make their proofe full and so will I do by their example The first is in the thirde chapter of the prophet Malachie in these wordes Ecce venit dicit Dominus exercituum quis poterit cogitare diem aduentus eius Et quis stabit ad videnduÌ„ eum Ipse enim quasi ignis conâ—â—ans quasi herba fullonum sedebit conâ—tans emuÌ„dans argeÌ„tum purgabit filios Leui colabit eos quasi aurum argentum erunt Domino offerentes sacrificia in iustitia Et placebit Domino sacrificium Iuda Hierusalem c. Beholde he commeth sayth the Lorde of Hostes. And who may abide the day of his coÌ„ming VVho can stand endure his sight â–ª For he is like melting and casting fier and as the washers herbe And he shall sit casting and trying out siluer and shall purge the children of Leui clense them as golde or siluer And theÌ„ shal they offer sacrifice in righteousnesse the offerings of Iuda Hierusalem shall be acceptable vnto our Lorde And thus farre spake the prophet The second is this taken out of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Secundum gratiam Dei quae data est mihi vt sapiens architectus fundameÌ„tum posui alius auteÌ„ superaedificat Vnusquisque auteÌ„ videat quomodo superaedificet FundameÌ„tuÌ„ enim aliud nemo potest ponere praeter id quod est posituÌ„ quod est Christus Iesus Si quis auteÌ„ superaedificat super fundameÌ„tum hoc aurum argeÌ„tum lapides preciosos ligna foenuÌ„ stipulam vniuscuiusque opus manifestuÌ„ erit dies enim Domini declarabit quia in igne reuelabitur vniuscuiusque opus quale sit ignis probabit Si cuius opus maÌ„serit quod superaedificauit mercedeÌ„ accipiet si cuius opus arserit detrimentuÌ„ patietur ipse auteÌ„ saluus erit sic tameÌ„ quasi per igneÌ„ Thus in English According to the grace of God geuen vnto me as a discriete builder I haue laid the groundewarke but an other buildeth theron Let euery man be circumspect how he buildeth on it For no fundatión can be laide but Christ Iesus which is already laide If any man builde vpon this groundewarke golde siluer preciouse stones wodde hay or stooble euery mans worke shall be laide open For the day of our Lorde will declare it because it shall appeare in fire And that fire shall trie euery mans worke what it is if any mans worke erected vpon that foundation do abide he shall receiue rewarde but if his worke burne he shall susteine losse or it shall susteine â—osse meaning by the worke it selfe as the texte well serueth also but him selfe shall be saued notwithstanding and that yet as through fire These be S. Pauls wordes Now as men studious of the trueth carefull of our faith and saluation and fully free from contention and partaking let
be placed because there is no mention thereof in the Gospell But to returne to the third place alleged by M. Allen out of S. Augustine ser. 3. Psal. 103. How would he haue vs to take it for a confirmation of his exposition of S. Paules wordes touching the paines of purgatory which are sayd to begin immediatly after this life when he him selfe confesseth that it is to be vnderstoode of the vniuersall conflagration of the world at the day of iudgement Thus you see that here were great bragges made that Augustines authority maintained his interpretation of those 2. textes of Scripture concerning popish purgatory which he him selfe contendeth to beginne as soone as men are dead When Augustine in both those places as the playne circumstance of the place declareth the one and the confâ—ssion of M. Allen admitteth the other speaketh of a kind of purging which he did thinke should not be before the whole world were purged at once by fire 3 And as S. Augustine taketh these base substances of wood hay or stuble to signifie worldly affections and secular desires so S. Ambrose noteth by the same vayne curious vnprofitable doctrines the drosse of which friuolous matter much corrupting the sinceritie of our faith must be separated from the foundation by the fire of the sayd fornace For this is a generall doctrine without exception that what so euer be vnderstanded by those light matters whether it be a difformity in life or in doctrine that onely defileth and not vtterly destroyeth the fayth which is the foundation nor wasteth the loue due vnto our Lord what so euer I say that be it must be tryed out by the spirite of iudgement and fire Briefly then thus S. Ambrose expounding the Apostles wordes He shall be saued by fire writeth Ostendit illum saluum quidem futurum sed poenam ignis passurum vt per ignem purgatus fiat saluus non sicut perfidi aeterno igne in perpetuum torqueatur The Apostle declareth that he shall be saued and yet suffer the paynes of fire that being purged by that fire he may so be saued and not as the vnfaithfull perpetually be tormented in euerlasting fire 3 As he sayth litle out of Ambrose so it is soone aunswered first it maketh litle for him that Ambrose expoundeth the wodde hay and stuble vayne curious and vnprofitable doctrine for that prouethe that onely the worke of teachers shall passe the triall of this fire which is the iudgement of Gods spirite the true discerner of doctrines but yet Ambrose expoundeth the fire to be a purging and a punishment But whether it be in this life or after this life you haue no ground out of this place of Ambrose and therefore it finally auaileth your cause And that Ambrose allowed no purging after this life is playne enough by those wordes which he writeth vpon the 40. Psalme For where the prophet sayth he shall be made happy on earth Ambrose inferreth Bene addidit in terra quia nisi hic mundatus fuerit ibi mundus esse non poterit He hath well added on earth for if he be not clensed here he can not be clensed there 4 This temporall torment of the next life S Hierom very fitly calleth A iudgement of God ioyned with mercy the continuance whereof or other circumstances to serue mens curiositie he dare not define being contented out of doubt to beleue that certaine sinners be in greuous torments and yet not without hope of mercy these be that holy mans words in his commentaries vpon the Prophet Esai talking by occasion of the continuance of purgatory paynes Quid nos solius Dei scientiae debemus relinquere cuius non solum misericordiae sed tormenta in pondere sunt nouit quem quomodo quandiu debeat iudicare Solumque dicamus quod humanae conuenit fragilitati Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me neque in ira tua corripias me sicut diaboli omniumque negatorum atque impiorum qui dixerunt in corde suo non est Deus credimus aeterna tormenta sic peccatorum atque impiorum tamen Christianorum quorum opera in igne purganda sunt atque probanda moderatam arbitramur mixtam clementiae sententiam iudicis In English VVe must commit this secrete to Gods wisedom and knowledge whose not onely mercy but iudgement and iust punishment be paised For he right well knoweth whom how and what time he ought to punish And let vs onely as it becommeth our frailty cry out Lord in thy furious wrath argue me not neither correct me in thy anger for as we beleue the eternall damnation and torment of the deuill with the forsaken sort and wicked that sayd in their harte there is no God so we suppose that vpon sinners and euill men being yet christen men whose workes shall be both purged and tryed by fire shal be pronounced a moderate sentence mixed with mercy and clemency Lo here this worthy writer graunteth there be two sortes of punishments by fire one of the damned spirites and wicked men eternall and an other of certayne that in their life were sinners some wicked men too who yet being in Christes Church and vsing the benefite of the blessed Sacraments had their sinnes so forgeuen that not purging their wicked life by sufficient penaunce in their dayes they must of necessity enter into the torment of transitory fire there to be punished not in rage and rigor without pity but in anger of fatherly correction ioyned with clemency and much mercy 4 The last place is reserued for S. Ieronym who seemeth to geue a perfect testimony for M. Allens behoofe if he be no further examined then M. Allen rehearseth his wordes but howe litle they make for him if they be duely discussed except it be to proue Ieronym an Origenist and so to discredite his testimony I will stand to the iudgement of all reasonable Papistes that will vouchsafe to weygh the matter with me and not be wilfully deceiued For first it is manifest that Ieronym writing vpon these wordes of Esay whose worme shal not dye nor the fire be extinguished speaketh of the last iudgement in the ende of the world and then rehearseth the arguments of them that thought the punishment of that worme and fire shoulde be ended after long time and great torments which thing Ieronym sayth must be left to the onely knowledge of God c whom he confesseth to be a mercifull iudge and so it may be that he will release the eternall torments that wicked Christians haue deserued after the day of iudgement but he defineth nothing And as for M. Allens purgatory which he defendeth to begin streight way after mens departure hence he speaketh neuer a word But rather of the purging fire of Gods iudgement which some of the Origenistes did extend to the purifying and sauing of all Christians were they neuer so wicked from whose opinion he seemeth not
proofe out of the holy Scripture that he may be fully established in his faith and the aduersary heretike wholy confounded in his misbelefe If he list not rather as I heartely pray to God that he may geue ouer that vnnaturall plea holden to long against the Catholike Church our mother Geue eare then vnto the wordes of our Sauiour written in the Gospell of S. Matthew Esto consentiens aduersario tuo cito dum es in via cum eo ne forte tradat te aduersarius iudici iudex tradat te ministro in carcerem mittaris Amen dico tibi non exies inde donec reddas nouissimuÌ„ quadrantem Be at agreement with thine aduersary speedely whiles thou arte with him in the waye Lest that aduersary deliuer thee vp to the iudge the iudge commit thee to an officer by whome thou may be cast into prison surely I say vnto thee thou shalt not get out till thou haue discharged the vttermost farthing Now being desirous of the trueth and true meaning of this letter for the vnderstanding maketh all because there may arise by the darkenesse of that figuratiue speach some diuersity of sense let vs indifferently wey euery worde and with diligence examine the circumstances of the texte whereby any light may appeare And first being admonished to agree with our aduersary we may right well know that he meaneth not by the commoÌ„ enemie of our kinde that rometh about seeking whome he may deuour for his cruell assaultes must onely by resistaunce be withstand Neither the worde which the Euangelistes there vsed can properly signifie any malicious enemy that by hatered of our person is become our deadly foe as those which be skillfull in the language is wherein they wrote do confesse But rather as well the worde as the iust consideration of the place driueth vs to acknowledge that this our aduersary here signifieth our brother which hath iuste quarell against vs in iudgement for that we woulde not geue eare vnto him sharply admonishing vs of our faultes being therefore an aduersary to our viceis and fleshly coÌ„uersation In which sort to vs that are flesh and bloude and redy to euill from our youth all be aduersaries that preach Christ the amendement of licentious maners repentaunce of our lothsome life past or els vse against vs the rodde of correction and bodyly punishment that our soules may be saued in the day of the appearing of our Lorde To this kinde of aduersary Christ councelleth and commaundeth vs for our great good to agree and consent whiles we be here in the way of this our pilgramage and transitory life lest all these meanes which he wroght to reduce vs to the perfection of a Christian godly life be as it were a witnesse of our contempt him selfe our accuser before the iudge that shall so iustely reward euery man according to his deedes that is Christ him selfe to whome the father hath geuen all iudgement VVhose ministers being Angels either good or badde for the execution of iustice vpon sinners shall at his appointment cast vs into the prison and dongion there to be holden from life and liberty till we haue paide the last farthing the toleration of which bondes shall recompense the debtes which by wel doing and much mourning in the way of this world we refused to pay as S. Augustine piththely speaketh in these wordes Si non reddit faciendo iustitiam reddet patiendo miseriam he that paieth not his debt by dooing that which is iust right he shall pay it by suffering misery VVhich we trust the pitifull paines of that prison through the only desertes and merites of Christ our Lorde and God shall so discharge that after the payment either pardoned or fully made we may haue ioyfull accesse to his blessed presence For the forme of speache vsed in like ordre of wordes by both the Euangelistes doth vs plainely to vnderstande that we may through Christ make full payment thereof Ells he woulde not by likelihood haue saide that we shoulde not scape forth till we had discharged â–ª the vtmost farthing but rather that seuere iudge would haue geueÌ„ charge that the offender should be bouÌ„de hand and foutte and cast into the darke doungion of euerlasting daâ—nation prepared for the deuill and his angels which is the second and euerlasting death Namelâ— the worde of Imprisonment so well agreeing therevnto that it may not well admit any other meaning but a place of temporall torment For a prison is a place of correction chastisement of such as be on liue in which as longe as life lasteth a man may be in hope of liberty though his bondage for a time be neuer so vntollerable but when sentence of death is once pronounced in this worlde or damnation in the next then we may right well knowe Gods mercy to be shutte vp and the party desperate of all recouery Neither the name of Imprisonment in Scripture is lightly taken for the place of euerlasting punishment nor can by confereÌ„ce of the sundry partes of this letter haue here conueniently any such sense CAP. X. 1 HEre according to M. Allens orderly proceding is alleged for purgatory a place out of S. Matthew where Christ saith to him that neglecteth to reconcile him selfe to his aduersary before he came to the iudge that he shall be cast into prison from whence he shall not come vntill he haue payed the vttermost farthing The meaning of Christ is playne that he shall neuer come out no more then that wicked seruaunt which was cast in pryson vntill he shoulde pay the whole debt which was ten thousand talents Matth. 18. But before we goe any further let vs se how the doctrine of this chapter agreeth with that we had in the chapter next before Theâ—e we were told that purgatory serueth but for veniall sinnes or else for such mortall sinnes as by forgeuenes in this life obtayned are made veniall trespasses But here not onely vices and fleshly conuersation but also contempt of all that preach Christ and repentaunce of our lothsome life past c. are sayd to be the debt that must be discharged in purgatory to the vttermost farthing then the which no vice is more mortall nor farther from forgeuenes For he that not only leadeth a lothsome life but also contemneth all those meanes that Christ hath wrought to reduce him to the perfecton of a Christian godly life I vse his owne wordes how can he haue remission of his sinnes in this life and yet M. Allen dare promise him that the toleration of bandes in the prison of purgatory shall recompence his debt and bring him from thence into the blessed presence of Christ. M. Allen hath the most passing faculty of any that euer I heard to build one thing in one leafe and to ouerthrow it him selfe againe in the next Neuerthelesse I can not abide that he should promise a pardon of that payment
which Christ sweareth shall be made vnto the vttermost farthing For he that refuseth reconciliation or repentance in this life must not looke for a pardon after this life Therefore if M. Allen will needes vnderstand this pryson for purgatory I will be so bold vppon Christes oth and earnest asseueration to affirme that he which is so imprisoned shall neither looke for mercy nor satisfaction by other mens payment but by his owne suffering But let vs see how he proueth that this place is to be vnderstood of purgatory First by likelihood that he should not haue sayd he shall not escape vntill he hath payd the vttermost farthing but rather cast him into the darke dungeon of euerlasting damnation M. Allen either can not or will not see that Christ here continueth an allegory of a temporall iudgement as Matt. 18. where he hath the same Donec as the same in like sense is often vsed else where Secondly the name of imprisonment will not well admitt he sayth any other meaning but of a temporall torment as though hell is not called a prison 1. Peter 3. And Apoc. 20. which is a place of euerlasting torments Therefore here is no shew of matter but bigge wordes onely 2 And these notes well and diligently considered may geue greate light to the alleaged wordes otherwise somewhat obscure and therewith proue our matter too They be not of my scanning onely as for some parte thou shalt perceiue by these wordes of Rupert an excellent good author Aduersarius eorum qui erant eiusmodi sermo fuit euangelij omnis praedicator euangelicae veritatis potestatem habens non consentientem sibi tradere iudici non solum iudici verum etiam malo ministro quemadmodum vnus eorum tradidâ—t hominem satanae The aduersary of such men was the worde of the Gospell and ech preacher of the trueth who had poure to deliuer him that would not agree vnto him to the iudge yea further then that he had authority to commit him to an euill minister as one of them gaue vp a man to Satan Here we see what that aduersary is to whome we must consent in this life and withall we haue an example in this iudgement of Gods ministers how man may be committed in the next life to a tormenter that may vexe him then at Gods prescription as he doth now at the charge onely of his minister then in fauour and mercy of the iudge as it is now in loue and charity of the vicegerent then for the atteining of heauens blesse as it is nowe for the saluation of the person punished For the executioÌ„ of Gods sentence may be either by a good spirite or our aduersary Angell or by his will and worde onely to whome all creatures serue and obey In this sense Paulinus who was S. Augustines peare writeth that the holy Ghost and Gods worde be mans aduersaries in earth to whome if we applie our selues obediently in this world our sorowe can not be long in the next life But these be his owne wordes Neque septem dies luctus noster excedat si consentiamus in huius vitae via aduersario nostro id est spiritui ac vei bo dei quod nobis peccaÌ„tibus aduersatur c. Our griefe can not be much longer then seuen dayes he meaneth it shall be a temporall paine and not very long if we consent in the way of this life to our aduersary that is to witte the spirite and worde of god For they be our aduersaries when we sinne because the holy Ghost chargeth the world with sinne and the worde of God if we obey not will be our accuser and promotour vp vnto the Iudge who will haue an accompt of his talent to the vttermost farthinge Thus farre spake this Author and in like sense many moe whome I neede not nowe name Because there is such store of testimonies that not onely in some part make for the opening of this scripture but altogether for Purgatory And one or two of them I will briefly recite because I determined with my selfe and bounde my selfe for my discharge and the readers more safe warraunt to bring no texte of scripture for the proofe of my purpose except I might finde some holy writers of the antiquity that vsed the same directly in that sense that if any maÌ„ would repreheÌ„d my meaning yet he should not be so bold with such as I caÌ„ name proue to be my authors therin 2 In this part are two testimonies alleged one of Rupertus an other of Paulinus of which Rupertus affirmeth his exposition of the aduersary but touching purgatory he sayth nothing Paulinus interpreteth the aduersary somewhat otherwise but he speaketh of them that doe agree with him in the way of this life whose sorrow he sayth shal not exceede seuen dayes but what sorrow they shall abide that contemne this agrement he sayth nothing but generally of the accompt of the vttermost farthing I maruell whether M. Allen was awake when he alleged these two testimonies for purgatory or whether he thought that all men should be asleep that should reade them 3 But whome may I more safely alleage for the contentatioÌ„ of sober wittes and repressing the aduersaries boldenesse then the blessed martyr S. Cyprian VVho in the forth booke of his Epistles for the declaration that euery one which here is pardoned of his sinnes shall not straight be exalted to the glory of sainctes and martyrs after their death vseth very fitly as he doth all other placies of scripture the forsaide text by these wordes Aliud est ad veniam stare aliud ad gloriam peruenire aliud missum in carcerem non exire donec soluat nouissimum quadrantem aliud statim fidei virtutis accipere mercedem aliud pro peccato longo dolore cruciari purgari diu igne aliud peccata omnia passione purgari aliud denique pendere in die iudicij ad sententiam domini aliud statim a domino coronari In English it is an other thing to stande at a pardon then out of hande to atteine to glory it is an other maner of matter to be coÌ„mitted to prison thense not to depart till the last farthing be discharged to receiue out of hand the rewarde of faith and vertue It is one thing by greate sorow to be tormented for our sinnes and by long fire amended purged of the same and an other to haue sufficiently purged them by martyrdom in fine it is not all one to hange on Gods sentence in the day of iudgement and out of hande to be crowned of our Lorde These wordes as you see expressely proue our matter open the meaning of the scripture whereon we nowe stoode and do clearely set forth the ordre of Gods iustice in the next life And they shall content the reader better if he marke vpon what occasion this blessed man spake these wordes There were many in the persecutioÌ„ of that time
but they had it out of Gods holy worde and tradition of the holy Apostles and by the very suggestion of the spirite of trueth All which if it can not moue the misbeleuer and stay the rashenesse of the simple deceiued sort it shall be but lost labour to bring in any more for the confirmation of that trueth which all the holy doctours haue so fully both proued and declared to my hande 5 The tales that you tell out of Gregory and Bede may be hearde as they are tolde and beleeued as they deserue but that you make the opinion of purgatory such an article of faith that no article with more force of the spirite nor with more graue authority was set forth sence the beginning of Christian religion and yet neuer taught in the scripture that is by no meanes to be borne with all If Sathan hath labored to plante that error which is most blasphemous against Christ and occasion of most licentious wickednesse in all them that professe Christ and beleue it if Sathan I saye hath bent all his force to plante such an error by which his kingdome is so much aduaunsed no wise man can maruell Of like leuen it is that you affirme That neuer nation was conuerted to the fayth but it had purgatory taught by worde and confirmed by miracle O impudent affirmer Of so many nations as S. Luke recordeth in the Actes of the Apostles to haue bene conuerted to the fayth name one vnto which you can proue that purgatory was taught eyther by worde or miracle But to be sure you name all euen of the primitiue Church when that aboundant floude of faith was spred ouer all countries But when the proofe commeth you leape but 600. yeares from Christ to Gregories dialogues from which time I will not deny but you may haue great store of such stuffe as you haue miracles now in Flaunders of the honest woman of the olde Baylye in London and such like 6 But nowe for vs that through Gods greate mercy be Catholikes let vs for Christes sake so vse the benefit of this our approued faith to the amendement of our owne liues that where no argument will serue nor authority of Scripture or doctour can conuerte the deceiued yet the fructe of this doctrine shewed by good life and vertuous conuersatioÌ„ may by Christes mercy moue them Let the priest consider that this heuy iudgement must beginne at the house of God as S. Peter affirmeth and so doth S. Ambrose proue it must do In whome for the dignity of his honorable ministery as much more holynesse is requisite so a more straite reckening must be required Let the Lay man learne for the auoyding of greater daunger in the presence of the highe Iudge willingly to submit him selfe to Gods holy ministers VVho haue in most ample maner a commission of executing Christes office in earth both for pardoning and punishment of sinne that suffering here in his Church sentence and iuste iudgement for his offensies he may the rather escape our fathers greuous chastisement in the life to come Therefore I woulde exhorte earnestly the minister of God that in geuing penaunce he would measure the medecine by the maladie aptly discerning the limitation of the punishment by the quantity of the faulte not vsing like lenity in closing vp of euery wounde For they shall not be blamelesse surely that do the worke of Gods iudgement committed to their discretion negligently nor the simple soule that lookes to be set free from further paine can by the acceptation of such vnâ—quall remedies auoide the scourge of iudgement prepared except he him selfe voluntaryly receiue as I woulde wishe all men shoulde some further satisfaction by the fructes of penaunce that of his owne accorde he may helpe the enioyned penalty and so by Gods grace turne away the great greefe to come Excellently well and to our purpose saide S. Cyprian in the fourth booke of his epistles talking of such offenders as were not charged with penaunce sufficiently or otherwise negligently fulfilled the same by these wordes We shall not herein any thing be preiudiciall to Gods iudgement that is to come that he may not allow and ratifie our sentence if he finde the perfect penaunce of the party so require But if the offender haue deluded vs by fayned accomplishing of his penaunce then God who will not be deluded because he beholdeth the hearte of man shall geue iudgement of such thinges as were hidde from vs And so our Lorde will amende the sentence of his seruauntes VVhere this doctour seemeth to allude to the accustomed name of Purgatory which S. Augustine and other do often call the amending fire Though it may well be that he here calleth the contrary sentence of iudgement to eternall damnation vpon the impenitent sinner whome the priest because he coulde not discerne the fayned hypocrasy of his externall dealing from the inward sorow of hearte pronounced to be absolued of his sinnes it may stande I say that he termeth that contrary sentence of God the correction or the amendement of the priestes iudgement How so euer that be it is a worke of singular grace and discretion so to deale with the spirituall patient that he haue no nede of the amending fire 6 Here is an exhortation vnto Papistes first to the priestes that they will shew the fructe of this doctrine in their conuersation For my parte â— am perswaded if feare of eternall torments in Hell that God threatneth by his scriptures will not terrify them the fayned paines of purgatory which they can by their owne Masses and other like merits auoide will not restraine them The laye men are exhorted to submitte them selues to the priestes who haue such an ample commission that they may both pardon and punish sinne euen as Christ him selfe did vpon earth But what auayleth this submission when the ignorant or negligent priest that weigheth not the penaunce in euen ballance with the offence doth not by his absolution or pardonning take awaye one houres torments of purgatory as both M. Allen him selfe in effect confesseth and the Maister of the sentence also teacheth vnto whome M. Allen hath bene so good a scholler that he hath borowed of him not onely his iudgement but in diuerse places his very wordes also he hath translated Of the nature and condicion of Purgatory fire the difference of their state that be in it from the damned in Hell vvith the conclusion of this booke CAP. XIII 1 IF any curious heade list of me demaunde where or in what parte of the worlde this place of punishment is or what nature that fire is of that worketh by such vehement force vppon a spirituall substance I will not by longe declaration thereof feede his curiosity because he may haue both the example and the like doubt of Hell it selfe and many other workes of God moe The learned may see that question at large debated in the bookes of the City of God and in
the literall exposition vpon the Genesis And yet after all searche that man can make this must be the conclusion with the author of those bookes Quomodo intelligenda sit illa flamma inferni ille sinus Abrahae illa lingua diuitis illa sitis tormenti illa stilla refrigerij vix fortasse a mansuetè quaerentibus à contentiose autem certantibus nunquam inuenitur melius est dubitare de occultis quam litigare de incertis I am sure sayth S. Augustine the Riche man was in wonderfull feruent paine and the Lazare in the rest of a pleasaunt abiding but how or of what nature that Hell flame and fire is to be taken or Abraham his bosom or the glottens tongue or the intollerable thurst in that torment or the drop to quenche his heat All these doubtes can scarsely be dissolued and satisfied to the contentation of him that with humility maketh serche thereof But to contentious and curious ianglers they shall neuer be knowen Therefore better it is to be in doubt of these secrets then to stand in contentious reasoning of thinges vncertaine So must we thinke also of Purgatory that the paine thereof of what condicion so euer it be or where so euer the ordinaūce of God hath placed it is wonderfull horrible And by force of operation representeth the nature of our fire and both by scriptures and doctors is most termed by the name of fire as Hell torment is It worketh so vpon the soule of man as the other did vpon the riche mans soule and all other that be already in Hell before the receyuing of their bodies into the same misery at the generall day of Iudgement And the sensible griefe may be as great of certaine as in the other place of euerlasting damnation as Cyrillus in vita Hieronymi doth declare CAP. XIII 1 THis is a very needelesse discourse vnlesse it were to make vp a browen doosen of chapters to enquire of the nature or condition of purgatory fire c. and then to be able to determine nothing of it If we shall geue credit to those visions reuelations and apparitions which M. Allen defended so pithily in the last Chapter before there is no man knoweth his owne house better thē we may know euery corner of purgatory the place the length the bredth the depth the fire the water the burning the scalding the broyling the frying the whipping the hanging c. At the least wise if M. Allen would haue taken so much foolish paynes as to haue translated out of that worshipfull author which he citeth that which he hath written of the qualitie and condition of the paynes of purgatory he migh◠haue enlarged this chapter by two or three leaues That beastly asse and shamelesse counterfector that calleth him selfe Cyrillus in the deuills name Bishop of Ierusalem writing to such an Augustine as he was a Cyrill of the miracles of S. Ieronym maketh a large discourse of the paynes of hell and purgatory as he learned of Eusebius and of 3. deade men whom Ieronym caused to be restored to life after he had shewed them the paynes of purgatory and hell and this to confute the errour of them that denyed purgatory I would maruell surely whether impudency in him that inuented that fable and set it out vnder the name of Cyrillus were greater then in M. Allen that allegeth his name authoritie as antique authentical sauing that that counterfecter played the foole in the night but Allen bringeth him forth in the brode daye light 2 But this is the greate misery and the difference that such as be in the iudgement of Hell paines haue no hope of mercy no passage from their infinite woe no ende of torment no release of paine no expectation of saluation no comforte by Christ but endlesse desperation hatered of vertue wearinesse of their creation sorowe of their owne being and persons and which is most vntollerable perpetual blasphemy grisely cursing of Gods holy name The other being vnder their mercifull fathers chastisement in purgatory suffer great paine but in quiet peace of conscience in assured expectation and warraunt of their saluation in loue of Gods iustice and iudgement euen towardes them selues in the vnity of the spirite of God bearing testimony of them that they be the children of the houshoulde in perpetuall experience of mercy and grace in daily hope of release in perfect loue with out all sinne or daunger of sinning in gladde conceiuing the benefit of their redemption for the remission of their offenses past and in worship and confession of Gods holy name then and after for euer more And this is the company of the inferiour partes which boweth their knee and reuerenceth the name of Iesus as the Apostle saith when the other which be in the deepe hell the Prophet bearing witnesse can not prayse nor confesse his blessed name which they both detest blaspheme to their vnspeakable paine There hath euer bene sence the death of the first vertuous man till this houre and so shall be till the day of latter iudgement a company of elect and chosen people that do honour God in the loughers partes as till Christes descending to Hell the fathers resting place in generall and some that suffered for sinne further paine beside And after continually as before the place of Purgatory to endure for the punishment of certaine till the latter day when all the elect shall reigne without griefe or peine with Christ for euer more And although the place of this torment and the nature therof be not certainely determined nor knowen to any but such as God of his wisedome list reuele it vnto yet it is with great probability and likelihood thought of such learned men as deserue singular credit that it is in the lower roumes as sinus Abrahae may appeare by scripture to haue bene and separated from hell as it was because all places of punishmēt after this life be called of holy writers conformably to scripture Inferna But with curious searche of these thinges as we be not charged so to beleue that iustice is there done vpon sinners by much sorow and torment of their soules by the authority of Gods worde and Church we are of necessity induced The care and consideration whereof if it take deepe impression in our mindes I am sure it shall worke exceding greate chaunge in our whole life and maners 2 Here we are taught what the difference is betwene the paynes of hell and purgatory This difference is not in quality nor quantity but in respect of continuance and of the persons The one is eternall the other temporall they that are in one are desperate and impatient the other in hope and patience without sinne or daunger of sinning Surely if those tales were true that are told of them that are in purgatory there appeared in some but smal patience One that was promised by an Angell that he should tarry but 3. dayes
in purgatory after he had bene there but one day told the Angell to his face that he was no Angell but a deceiuer affirming that he had bene there many yeares A monke that dyed without absolution in the absence of the Abbot after his death was absolued and enioyned for penance to tarry in purgatory vntill his body were buried whereat he cryed so horribly that his voyce was heard all ouer the abbey saying O vnmercifull man hast thou commaunded me to tarry so long in purgatory A Bishop suspēded a priest for saying euery day masse of requiem but as the same Prelate went ouer a churchyard the dead arose euery man with such tooles as they occupied in their life threatning him that he should dye for it he did not restore them their soule priest Againe one that promised his brother to say masse for him immediatly after his death made hast to performe his promise as soone as the breath was out of his hody but when masse was done his brother appeared to him saying O vnfaithfull brother thou hast well deserued the curse of God for me thou hast let me lye in torments these 20 yeares and neither thou nor any of my brethren would vouchsafe to say one masse for me If these and such like narrations of which the popish homilies and other writings are crammed full were true reuelations there were small patience mekenes or loue in some of the purgatory penitentionaries Yet M. Allen sayth these are the inferior partes which boweth their knee and reuerenceth the name of Iesus as the Apostle sayth Philip. 2. For those that be in the deepe hell can not prayse nor confesse his blessed name as the Prophet sayth Although that which Dauid sayth be true of the damned spirites yet he speaketh generally of all them that are deade which can not prayse God in his Church as they doe that are aliue But S. Paule to the Philip speaketh not of any willing obedience or ioyfull confession of them that be in hell but of that which is due to the maiestye of Christ and enforced euen from his enemies For if none should bow to Christ but they that honour him willingly and praise his holy name cherefully this text should not be verified of so many 1000. Turkes Iewes and Infidels that now blaspheme his holy name but in the day of iudgement vnto which time the perfect accomplishment of this prophecy is referred they with all the deuills in hell shal be brought on their knees and acknowledge that Iesus is the Lord to the glory of God and their eternal confusion And euen now already S. Iames teacheth that the deuils doe tremble But if onely the soules in purgatory were ment by them that are vnder the earth at the last day when Christ shall haue his chiefe glory and purgatory as the Papistes confesse shall be abolished then there should be none in the infernall partes that should bow vnto Iesus and acknowledge his glorious maiestie according to the prophecy of Esay which S. Paule expoundeth of the last iudgement Rom. 14. And therefore although M. Allens affirmation of godly men to haue bene in the lower partes from the beginning of the world vnto the end of the same were true as it is most false yet it would not aunswere the verity of the prophecy when at that time there shoulde be none in which time the prophecy should chiefly be fulfilled but of what forehead or mouth doth this procede that he affirmeth that Abrahams bosome may appeare by Scripture to haue bene in the lower roomes though separate from hell His reason seemeth to be because all places of punishment after this life be in Scripture called Inferna that is hell or the lowest places The Scripture teacheth that Abrahams bosome was a place of comfort separate from hel not with a small border like the popish limbus but with an infinite distance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence the rich glutton looking vp saw Lazarus a farre of in blessed estate when he him selfe was in torments But hereof I haue spoken sufficiently before 3 Therefore I shall desire all Catholike readers as they beleue this graue sentence of God to come and feare the rodde of our fathers correction that they preuent the same by lowly submitting them selues vnto the chastisement of our kinde mother the Church VVho with teares in this her contempt yet besecheth the children of hir owne how shoulde that they woulde rather willingly submit them selues to her meeke wande in this life thē against their willes to the heuy scourge of their angry and iustly moued father in the worlde to come The penaunce which her ministers do charge vs with all is of it selfe not greate yet accepted with humility and competent dolour of hearte in this time of grace it may for the most parte if it any thing be aunswerable to the faultes or holpen by our owne zele either wholy discharge vs or much ease abbridge the paine to come Let vs not sticke to adde vnto the prescribed paine by the priest our pastour some such fructes of repentaunce as may more and more wash vs from our sinnes let vs make frendes of wicked Mammon Let vs redeme our sinnes by almes and mercy towardes the poore Let vs iudge our selues with earnest fasting aboundaunce of vnfained teares often watching and continuall praying then doubtlesse we shall not be iudged of our Lorde Let vs detest this abominable flattering security which this sinnefull schole so earnestly exhorteth vs vnto It is the deuill no doubt that woulde haue man passe his time in pleasure that he may be reserued to his euerlasting paine A small remedy by mans freedome in Gods grace here willingly accepted may cleere acquitte vs of great griefe to come Loue alone and earnest zele of Gods house in this multitude of forsakers I dare say shall couer a numbre of sinnes and that which by nature is but duety in this time of temptation I take it to be greate merit Let vs be circumspect therefore and worke whiles the day is here for in the night of the next worlde sinners can not helpe them selues nor worke one moment towards their owne deliuery or release 3 Once againe he desireth Catholikes not to doubt of this doctrine but to preuent the paine appointed by their angry father with patient receiuing the chastisment of their kinde mother whose meke wande in this life they were better to susteine then the heauy scourge of their iustely moued father after this life In this proper antithesis the kindnesse of the mother is preferred before the anger of the father yea the mercy of the mother is commended aboue the iustice of the father It appereth by this that the Papistes vnderstand not what they say when they call God father who taketh vnto him that name to declare his mercy towarde vs and not his iustice his loue and not his wrath to rewarde vs and not to punish vs who though he chastise his
flambes of purgatory But as I haue noted before that you haue hetherto kept this order for the most parte to plante one thinge in one chapter and then to pull it vp by the rootes in the next so you haue not forgotten your selfe in the diuision of your bookes But that the latter shoulde be a sufficient confutation of the former or else the former a manifest excluding of the latter For if the iustice of God doth so necessarily require a punishment for sinnes remitted that the same coulde not be satisfied no not by that only sacrifice which the sonne of God offered once for all on the aulter of the crosse it is a colde comforte that a carefull conscience can receiue that the same shoulde be done by his merites or your Masses which was not done by the bloude of Christ Yet now you will talke how the fiery sword maye be turned away surely if the fiery and shaking sworde that was set to exclude man from Paradise was not taken away by the death of Christ when he opened Paradise yea the kingdome of heauen whereof Paradise was but a sacrament vnto all beleuers I meruaill how either the penitent these had passage into Paradise or what engins you Papistes haue to turne it awaye which he had not The wordes of Damascene if they were not applied as you saye they are to purgatory paines and remedies of the same were true of Gods iustice and his mercy but as his age is to young so his authoritie is to light to controll the trueth of the worde of God or the practise of the first purest Church which knew no purgatory nor prayers for the deade But if our sinnes forgeuen were neuer so greuous c. what mad man woulde euer write thus Euen such a one as might be allowed to speake thus if blacke were neuer so blacke before it were cleane taken away and perfect white placed in the steede yet when white is white it is white But M. Allen wil not allowe that the coullor of our sinnes is cleane taken away and a contrary coullor of righteousnesse set vppon vs but that sinnes forgeuen be but halfe forgeuen the gilte taken awaye the punishment due for the gilte still remayning And this one halfe of forgeuenesse is but graunted in wordes and denied in deede For if the gilte of our sinnes be cleane taken away from vs and layed vpon the person of Christ and the righteousnesse of Christ is communicated vnto vs what is there lefte in vs that God of his goodnesse can hate or of his iustice can punish So it is but for a fashion that the papistes graunt any parte of our sinnes forgeuen when they will haue vs make satisfaction for them our selues But where as M. Allen is out of measure prodigall in promising releiffe and release of purgatory paines to them whose sinnes were neuer so greuous their vicious life wasted in idle wealth the space of penaunce and opportunity of working neglected in time preuented by sodaine death c rehersing so many meanes of mitigation as sometime the bloude of Christ the residew of his merites the crye of the mother Church the memory of the Masse the merites of all Sainctes the prayers of the faithfull and workes of the charitable All this notwithstanding take heede you poore Papistes that you geue no credit to these flattering wordes For it is the opinion of all the olde writers that doe allowe any of these thinges to profit men after their death and concluded by the Maister of the Sentence and aduouched by Allen him selfe afterwarde chapt 7. that no man can receiue benefit after his departure by any worke or will of the liuing but he that in his life deserued the same neither shal any thing worke vpon him more or lesse but according to his owne deseruing in this life Trust not therefore in these sophisticall vanities which are contrary one to an other but imbrace the vniforme vndoubted doctrine of Gods word which teacheth repentaunce faith iustification and saluation not with curious questions to troble your braynes but with perfect conclusions to quyet your conscience not suffering you to sleepe in securitie vpon hope of helpe after your death but charging you to shew the force of mortification and fruictes of fayth while you are aliue Not puffing vp your phantasie with pride of your owne merites but teaching you to ascribe all prayse to Gods glorious grace and infinite mercy 2 The cruell aduersary of man kinde as before he wrought his worst against Purgatory so here he busely pricketh forwarde the schoole of Protestantes to improue to their owne vtter damnation and the notable hinderaunce of our louing bretherns saluation all such meanes as God by scripture or other testimony of his worde hath reueled to be profitable for the abating of paine or the release of the apointed punishment in that place of temporall torment to come Against which deceiuers I meane by Gods helpe in this ordre to trauell 2 The cruell aduersary of mankinde and enuyor of Gods glory inuented Purgatory to deface the merites of Christes death and to blemish the onely meanes of mans eternall life which when he coulde not with any seemely coullor establish by the authority of the holy Scriptures the onely testimony of his worde and will reueiled and confirmed by his holy Spirite he hath inuented fayned fables and deuilish illusions to deceiue the mindes of them whome he had enclined vnto superstition and not bene ashamed to match them in credit and estimation with the very worde of God it selfe As appereth by this scribe of Sathan which nameth the scriptures for a simple shew but by and by addeth other testimonies of Gods worde beside the scriptures inspired by God whereby he maketh equiualent those false reuelations raised vp from Hell with the inspiratiō of the holy Ghost which hath brought the truth from heauen But now commeth in the order of this deuillyshe horror 3 First I will proue that sinnes may be pardoned or the debt and bonde thereof released in the next worlde 3 You shall neuer proue by authoritie of Gods word that sinnes not repented in this life shal be pardoned after this life where there is no repentaunce profitable nor yet any debt payed but by them that paye it eternally in perpetuall torments 4 Then I shall shewe what meanes the holy Scripture approueth or the example thereof awarraunteth to be proffitable for the soules departed 4 When you can proue either by doctrine or example agreable to doctrine of the canonicall Scriptures that any thing profiteth the soules departed that be not in happy state we will beleue it 5 I will open what the principall pillars and in a maner the flowre of all the faithfull sorte in sundry agies and almost in all Christian contryes haue lefte in writinge for this pointe 5 You are not able to bring one authenticall writer that within one 100 yeares and more after Christ hath allowed prayer for
may be remitted that is to say either made lesse or els wholy released before the due execution of Gods sentence be extremely done For it is not ment that the freedom which man may haue after full aunswere and payment of his sinnes in that place of punishment temporall shoulde be properly termed a remission or pardon For that is aunswerable to Gods iustice and although there were no prayers or other wayes of helpe yet the patient by toleration in time might vnder the protection of Christes merites make full satisfaction and so be discharged who being a vessell of mercy can not be damned But when we say that sinnes may be forgeuen in the next worlde Gods Church which is the mother of all beleuers teacheth vs that some parte as well of the rigour and extremity of the paine as of the time and continuance thereof though God him selfe hath appointed that punishment may yet be mercyfull released 3 S. Augustine is much beholding to you that you giue men to witte that when he was wrangled withall by any misbeleuer he had occasion to wrest the Scripture otherwise then the words imported so you iudge of him because he would not for your pleasure expound the fire of tryall 1. Cor. 3. For your fire of purgatory But concerning this testimony of Augustine it maketh not so much against vs but it maketh as litle for you For if you haue translated his words according to his meaning as you haue not according to his wordes he vnderstandeth by this place remission of the paynes and not of the sinnes which helpeth you nothing to that which you haue taken in hand to proue that sinnes are forgiuen after this life And so he seemeth to say in the 13. chapter of the same booke Non autem omnes veniunt in sempiternas poenas quae post illud iudiciuÌ„ his sunt futurae qui post mortem sustinent temporales nam quibusdam quod in isto non remittitur remitti in futuro saeculo id est ne futuri saeculi aeterno supplicio puniantur iam ante dixi All they come not into euerlasting paynes which after that iudgement shall be to them that after death suffer temporall paynes for I haue sayd already that vnto some that which is not remitted in this world is remitted in the world to come that is that they should not be punished in the world to come In these wordes he speaketh of release of paynes but not of forgiuenes of sinnes But in the place by you alleged if the words be truly translated according to the discourse of that chapter he affirmeth that after the resurrection those paynes which the spirites of the dead doe suffer there shal be some vpon whom mercy shall be bestowed so that they shall not be cast into eternall fire c. So that Augustine in this place speaketh not of such sinnes as are remitted in purgatory but of such persons as are forgiuen in the last iudgement when purgatory is ended Wherefore though Augustine erred in this place yet he erred from your cause And whereas you affirme in the margent that sometime Gods iustice is aunswered fully by the payne of the party you are contrary to the rest of your family for they hold that the generall prayers and sacrifices of your mother Church doe help them Yea the maister of the sentence holdeth that a poore man hauing equall merites with a rich man though there be no special prayers masses fasting or almes done for him is holpen as well by the common almes and prayers as the rich man for whom speciall prayers and large almes are done lib. 4. dist 45. For otherwise the opinion of merites could not stand And vnlesse M. Allen thinke that all such masses and prayers in which the dead are generally commended be vnprofitable his proposition can not stand by his owne learning That the faithfull soules in Purgatory being novv past the state of dâ—seruing and not in case to helpe them selues may yet receiue benefit by the vvorkes of the lyuing to vvhome they be perfectly knitte as fellovv membres of one body CAP. II. 1 BVt now what meanes may be founde to ease our brethern departed of their paine or what wayes can be acceptable in the sight of God to procure mercy and grace where the sufferers them selues being out of the state of deseruing and place of well working can not helpe them selues nor by any motion of minde atteine more mercy â–ª then their life past did deserue VVhere shall we then finde ease for them surely no where els but in the vnity and knotte of that holy fellowship in which the benefite of the heade perteyneth to all the membres euery good worke of any one membre woÌ„derfully redouÌ„deth to all the rest This society is called in our Crede communio Sanctorum the communion of Sainctes that is to say a blessed brotherhood vnder Christ the heade by loue and religion so wroght and wrapped together that what any one membre of this fast body hath the other lacketh it not what one wanteth the other supplieth when one smarteth all feeleth in a maner the like sorow when one ioyeth the other reioyseth withall This happy society is not impared by any distance of place by diuersity of Gods giftes by inequality of estates nor by chaunge of life so farre as the vnity of Gods spirit reacheth so farre this fellowship exteÌ„deth this city is as large as the benefit of Christes death taketh place Yea within all the compasse of his kingdome this fellowship is founde The soules and sainctes in heauen the faithfull people in earth the chosen children that suffer chastisement in purgatory are by the perfect bonde of this vnity as one abundeth ready to serue the other as one lacketh to craue of the other The soules happely promoted to the ioye of Christes blessed kingdome in this vnitie and knotte of loue perpetually praye for the doubtfull state of their owne fellowes beneth the carefull condition of the membres belowe continually crieth for helpe at their handes in heauen aboue Nowe the membres of Christes Church here yet trauelling in earth they pray together they faste together they desire together they deserue together Christ our heade in whose bloude this city and society standâ—th will haue no worke nor way of saluation that is nâ—t common to the whole body in generall and peculierly proffitable to supply the neede of euery parte thereof He which instituted the blessed sacraments will haue them in this vnity to worke in common as farre as the ende of eche of their institutions requireth and out of it to haue no force at all he that maketh all our workes acceptable though they be done of one will haue them perteine to all the holy sacrifice of the Church by the will of the author and the likenesse of the exemplar as in deede being in an other maner the very selfe same is made so common that it ioyneth the Sainctes
altare dei fieret eorum memoria in communione corporis Christi for the soules of the faithfull deceased be not seuered from the Church which is already the kingdome of Christ els there shoulde be no memory kepte for them at the altare in the communion of the body of Christ. By the force of this vnity what so euer is profitably practised in this worlde one for a nother as prayer almes fasting Sacrifice the same thinkes may and ought by the example of the Church to be carefully and with out ceasing procured for the helpe of our frends and Christian brethern departed And Athanasius that great pillar he by a meruelous fit example setteth forth how the soules in an other worlde may haue the benefites of the Church or Christian people deriued downe vnto them and what sensible feele of release they haue when we desire God for them Quemadmodum cum in campo vinea virescit vinum in vase occlusum rebullit ac propemodum feruet ita etiam â—entimus quod peccatorum animae diuinis beneficijs incruentae Hostiae gratiarum actionis pro ipsis habitae gaudeant vt idem solus nouit ordinat deus noster qui in viuos mortuos dominium exercet As when the vine abrode in the fielde doth spring and waxe greene the wine salfely kept in barells at home doth also worke in it selfe and in a maner buyle euen so as we iudge the soules of sinners through the benefit of the vnbloudy host and sacrifice of thankes gyuing done for them may waxe ioyfull and gladde as the same Lord and God onely knoweth how and hath ordeyned who exercyseth his might vpon the liue and the deade See I pray you how he by the action of Gods Church in the holy Masse in which the vnbloudy hoste and oblation is bestowed hath founde some way of carying downe the benefite of Christes passion vpon the membres of his body beneth And though some haue wickedly sought vtterly to breake the band of peace betwixt them and vs as they haue cursedly shaken thunity of the liuing amongest them selues yet their mother Christs spâ—use acknowledgeth her owne children still she seeth by the spirit of God whereby she seeth all trueth the sorow of her dearest so farre out of sight but neuer out of minde she in a maner feeleth a parte of her owne body in paine And can not otherwise do but by all possible meanes and approued wayes assay Gods mercy for their deliuery And this naturall compassion of the Church passeth through euery membre thereof and ought to moue euery man by the lawe of nature to procure as much helpe as he may And so much the more do we owe this naturall duety vnto them because they now can not helpe them selues being out of the state of deseruing and place of well working onely abiding Gods mercy in the sore sufferance of paines vntollerable They them selues as yet your brethern and a portion of your body require to be partakers of your benefites They feele ease of euery prayer your almes quensheth their heate your fasting releaseth their paine your sacrifice wipeth their sinnes and sores so strong is the communion of sainctes that what so euer you do that is acceptable it ishueth aboundantly downe to them 2 When all authoritie out of Gods word fayleth you wherby you should proue that the soules departed receiue benefite by the merits of the liuing you flie to the authoritie of men And fiâ—st Augustine must proue that the godly departed are not separated from the Church because memory of them is made at the aultare We nothing doubt but that the soules of the godly departed remaine still in the body of Christ which is his church but we ground vpon better authoritie then the authoritie of Augustine and vpon better proofe then the reason which he allegeth or else we might not be so certayne of it as we are And to the similitude of Athanasius which you note to be Quaest. ad Ant. 34. I aunswere that in the place by you noted there is no such word nor any of his questions ad Antiochum that I can find where so euer you had it Although that booke of questions is easily to be seene of all men and confessed of Nannus one of your owne side to be none of Athanasius doing we say that first it must be proued that the soules departed receiue benefite by masses and then we shall not striue for the maner how but mans authoritie is to weake to carry away so weighty a matter And therefore I will be as bold with you as Augustine was with the Donatistes de pastoribus cap. 8. Auferantur chartae humanae sonent voces diuinae Ede mihi vnam Scripturam pro parte Donati Let mens papers be remoued let the voices of God sound shew me one Scripture for Donatus side euen so M. Allen I will not sticke to vrge you when you leane wholy to the authoritie of men Away with mens writings let Gods word be heard from you shew me but one Scripture to proue all that you haue sayd in this chapter of the merites of the liuing to profite the deade 3 Onely he that is cutte of from this happy society hath no compassion of them nor feeleth not how they are knitt vnto vs by loue and vnity of one heade and one body You shall heare his vnnaturall and worse then heathen wordes Dum mortuos a nostro contubernio subduxit dominus nullum nobis cum illis reliquit commercium ac ne illis quidem nobiscum VVhen the Lorde hath taken the deade out of our company he hath dispatched vs of all intermedlyng with them or they with vs This man was borne to breake the bande of vnity which he hated both in the liue and dead By whose meanes it is now come to passe that those which of reason might clame our aide are vnnaturally disapointed of all such remedies whereby any comforte might to them arise Such lacke of compassion is driuen into our heades that we feele not the woe of our owne fellowes our kinne our brethern and our owne membres It is a thousand yeare and more sith a holy father not hauing halfe the cause that we nowe haue yet noted the peoples lacke of compassion towardes the departed in these wordes They that lie in torment vntollerable crie out for succour and few there be that make aunswere they woefully call but there is none to comfort them O Brethern what a kinde of cruellty is this O how much inhumanity is this those that in their life time suffered much sorow for our sakes now crie againe for our ayde and we regarde them not Lo how the sicke calles and the phisitions are at hande the hogge groneth and the whole hearde groutleth with all the poore asse falleth and euery man helpes him vp in hast but the faithfull alone calleth in his greuous torments and there is none that aunswereth Lo our
or daunger or to shew their sorrow for prophanation of Gods glory And any of these are more reasonable causes then the superstitious surmise of Beda with his curious conceit of the six ages of the worlde where other make seuen and eight ages 3 And that charitable reliefe of the poore by open almes and doles was also practised for the welth of the departed in the obittes of olde time the scripture it selfe in the fourth chapter of Tobie maketh mention by report of that godly commaundemeÌ„t that the good olde father gaue is sonne herein Panem tuum cum esurientibus comede de vestimeÌ„â—is tuis nudos tege Panem tuum vinum tuum super sepulturam iusti constitue noli ex eo manducare bibere cum peccatoribus Eate thy breade with the hongry and needy and couer with thy clothes the naked Set thy breade and wine vpon the sepulture of the vertuous make not the sinnefull partaker therof which wordes of exhortation can haue no other sense but that as before in the same place he gaue his sonne in charge to bestow vppon all men according to his hability for that there was hope to all charitable almes giuers of Gods mercy so now he warneth him to feede the poore and breake his breade to such especially as should come to the iustes and funeralls of the departed He would neuer haue put him in minde to haue releeued the poore at burialls but for some commodity that might arise to the party deceased for otheâ—wise his charity might haue proffeted the needy at other times as well as vpon mens departure Some tooke foolish occasioÌ„ by this place to set store of meate vpon the graue it selfe where their father or freinde was buried as though the dead had bene desirous of corporall foode The which superstitious error S. Augustine earnestly improueth Other some made great feastes at the daye of their freindes death But the texte is plaine it was the needy and good people that were at those soleÌ„ne exequies or other wise by their prayers might be profitably present in the dayes of memories holden for them which practise was not prescribed as a newe thing to the yong Tobie but it was moued and praised vnto him as a holy vsage of other burialls in those dayes and alwayes before Bona est oratio cum ieiunio elecmosina Prayer is profitable sayth the holy Raphel when it is ioyned with fasting and almes and therefore as the fathers in their prayers for the dead fasted as we haue proued so nowe I doubt not but almes shall crie for mercy at Gods hande for the soule departed vpon whose sepulture these thinges be charitably wroght 3 What else if we had not doles at burialls proued by the example of the Patriarkes all were marred Therefore Tobias must saye for doles But first we haue shewed already by authoritie of Hieronym which is proofe sufficient against the Papist that the Church receiueth not this booke of Tobias for canonicall scripture And secondly if we shoulde receiue it yet here is nothing that helpeth M. Allens cause but his owne simple surmise He sayth in dede the wordes can haue no other sence yet all that he sayeth is not gospell but what if the truer texte of Tobias hath other wordes First in the Greeke there is no mention at all of wine as is in the Latine nor of setting breade and wine vpon the graue of the vertuous but the sence is this As before he exhorted his sonne to feede the hongry with his owne breade and to cloth the naked with his owne garments so nowe he willeth him to spare the breade out of his owne mouth to bury the righteous as he him selfe had done chap. 1. which is a cleere interpretation of this but to geue nothing at all to the vngodly or to be liberall to the rightuous euen to their death and to see them buried honestly As for the iustes and funeralls M. Allen dreameth that the poore came vnto to receiue penny dole or soule breade appeareth in the first and second Chapters how solemne they were when poore Tobie was fayne to steale the bodyes and bury them priuily by night yet vpon that corrupt Latine texte as it should seeme wherevpon M. Allen buildeth they vsed in Affrica to make sumptuous and dronken feastes vpon the graues of men in the places of buriall which they thought not onely to perteine to the honor of the martyrs but also to be some comforte to the soules of the deade This olde superstition Augustine reproueth epist. 64. Aurelio But it is pretily renewed in the funerall feastes of the Papistes as also the selling of oblations for the deade which he in the same place condemneth 4 VVe haue a notable example in the Actes of the Apostles of the force of almes with prayers which wroght life and procured mercy eueÌ„ in the next world For the benefit of faithfull workes and holy prayers will not be limited by the termes of this worlde it will haue course doune so farre as the fellowship of this Christian societie reacheth the deuill and all his abettours can not stoppe the rase thereof The onely shew of certaine cotes with the requeste of the pore widowes that wore them made to Peter the Apostle turned Tabitha to life againe after her departure those garments geuen by her when she was a lieue by the careful trauel of her almes folkes procured reliefe in the worlde to come They warmed the backes of widowes in earth sayth Emissenus and the geuer had comforth of them being gone from the earth It is good we shoulde all learne here that haue receiued benefite of any man in this liefe with loue and carefullnesse not onely in this present worlde but most of all when our frend is departed to represent vnto God before his altare and holy ministers with sorowfull weeping hearty prayer the memory of such thinges as we haue receiued by way of almes or loue at his hand It shall be a soueraigne remedy for his infirmities and the approuedst way to procure Gods mercy that can be The elders of the Iewes making earnest supplication to our Sauiour for the Centurions seruaunt lying in extremitie vsed the memorie of that gentilmans charitable actes in their church as the rediest waye to obteine grace and fauour at his handes They cried out together dignus est vt hoc illi praestes diligit enim gentem nostram synagogam ipse aedificauit nobis Lorde be gratious vnto him he is worthy that benefite for he loueth our nation and hath him selfe founded a Synagoge And S Cyprian sayth notably that good workes make a more effectuall intercession then good wordes he speaketh of the same Tabitha as followeth Circumsteterunt Petrum viduae flentes rogantes pallia tunicas omnia illa quae prius sumpserant indumenta monstrantes nec pro defuncta suis vocibus sed ipsius operibus
deprecantes the widowes compassed Peter round about weeping and crauing holding forth the clokes and cotes and all their wiedes which they had giuen them before not requesting for the good woman deceased so much by their wordes as by her owne good workes I pray God we be not ouer carelesse in offering to almighty God in these our dolefull dayes the vnestimable benefites which we haue receiued of our forefathers by the building of all our Collegies our Oratories Churchies and chappelles They were founded first to procure Gods mercy they were many yeares together in the mindes and memories of their beadsmen represented before the face of God at his holy altare they are now forgotten with most men and offered to God with teares almost of none VVe should be much more diligent for our frends offensies doubtlesse then the poore women were onely for restore of there benefactors liefe againe And the force of prayers and almes worketh rather mercy in remission of sinne then fauour for calling to the life of this worlde any more Therefore seeing we reade expressely that prayers and almes haue bene proffitable to many out of the state of our present life we can not deny but the workes of the vertuous passe by Gods prouidence to the soules separated from their bodyes and worke grace and fauour as the case and condicion of the party requireth 4 But when shall we make an end if we aunswere such arguments as these The widdowes entreated Peter to restore Tabitha and shewed such garments as she made whilest she liued therfore prayer and almes helpeth the soules in purgatory At a word I say here is no necessary nor probable consequence But this is notable that he allegeth the sorrowing of the vnbeleuing Iewes He is worthy of this benefite because he loueth our nation and hath builded vs a Synagoge Belike he would haue men thinke this Synagoge was some chauntry that he builded for the benefite of the soules in purgatory 5 The soule of Lazarus whom our Sauiour reuiued was 4. dayes in the place and state of the next world when Martha and Mary his sisters prayers procured his restore to the land of the liuing again VVhich wemen I am sure were as earnest suters for the rest of his soule as for recouery of his personage they wished Christ had bene present in his sicknes they were assured of his resurrection at the latter day but being stinking ripe they thought our maister would not presently call him vp at that turne yet for his rest we neede not to doubt but they made sute with sighes sorowfull teares euery day VVho by custom of their countrey as I take it kept solemne prayers for diuers dayes togither in certaine seasons at the sepulâ—hre as the coniecture of Maries friendes which came to comfort her in heauines may well declare vnto vs For as she sâ—denly at her sisters call brake from them they knowing the vsage of that solemne weeping at the sepulchre of the departed sayd one to an other quia vadit ad monumentum vt ploret ibi she is surely gone to his graue there to wepe In which weeping kept as it were by course order and tyme if our aduersaries yet deny to haue bene vsed any prayers or wordes of request then let them make proofe by Gods worde that they vsed nothing but vnprofitable lamentation which if it be immoderate hath especiall mistrust of the resurrection as S. Paule declareth but ioyned with prayers or almes as before is proued it hath the liuely hope of the life of those that sleepe in peace And that to be the true mourning for the dead S. Chrysostome witnesseth with me both often else and namely vppon the Epistle to the Philippians thus Defleamus istos iuuemus eos pro viribus procuremus illis aliquid auxilij modici quidem attamen iuuemus eos quomodo quaue ratione precantes pro illis adhortemur alios vt orent pro eis pauperibusque indesinenter pro illis eleemosinas demus habet res ista non nihil consolationis Audi quippe quid Deus dicat protegam ciuitatem istam propter me propter Dauid seruum meum si memoria duntaxat iusti tantum valuit quando opera pro tali fiunt quid non poterunt Let vs mourne and weepe sayth he ouer the deade and helpe them according to our abilitie somwhat let vs succour them though it be neuer so small yet let vs put to our helping handes But howe and by what meanes mary both our selues praying for them and mouing others to doe the like yea and with out ceasing let vs bestowe almes for them this is somewhat confortable For see I pray you what God sayth I will defend this city for mine owne sake and for my seruaunt Dauids sake Truely if the onely remembrance of a iust man might make so much with God what may not charitable workes done for the same intent obteyne at his hand This was the mourning meete for the Christian burialls as this noble father teacheth vs and this no other was practised in the fathers funeralls in Christes time and before As in an other place this same doctor earnestly correcteth the vse of vaine mourning or outragious costly and curious couering of the body buried Cessemus quaeso ab hac insana diligentia sed eam morientium curam habeamus quae nobis illis conferat ad gloriam Dei. Largas pro his eleemosinas faciamus mittamus eis pulcherrima viatica Eleemosina mortuos suscitauit quando circumsteterunt viduae ostendentes quae fecerat ipsis Dorcas Cum ergo moriendum sit quisque funus sibi paret persuadeatque vt indigentibus aliquid relinquat Nam si reges haeredes scribentes familiaribus partem relinquunt in puerorum cautionem cum Christum cohaeredem filijs tuis dimittis intellige quantam tibi illis concilias beneuolentiam Haec sunt funera pulcherrima remanentibus abeuntibus proficiunt caetera For Gods loue sayth he let vs leaue this vndiscrete and madde curiositie and let vs so prouide for the departed that we may both helpe them and our selues to the glory of god Large almes must we geue for them in so doing we shall sende vnto them as you woulde say a kinde of necessary foode and sustenaunce for their soules This hath raised vp the deade when the widowes stoode round about making shewe of the garnements that Dorcas made for them Therefore seeing dye we must it were not amisse that euery man procured his owne funerall before hande that is to say by determination to leaue somewhat to the poore needy For if mighty kinges making their heires do bequeath somewhat to their familiars for the salfe prouiso of their successours thou may well vnderstande when thou makest Christ the copartener with thy children thou procurest thereby his mercy both to them and thy selfe And these be the right obittes these shall be commodious to the lyuing
confesse before the Lorde that it is nothing in comparison of his mercy towards vs nor our duety towards him But yet blessed be his holy name that it is sufficient to iustifie our profession against the Papistes if not to stoppe their malicious mouthes yet to condemne their cancred conscience of obstinate lying against the manifest light of truth And whereas M. Allen will haue vs told that the blood of Christ maketh mens workes meritorious we will not let to tell him that the church of Christ abhorreth that blasphemy whereby Christes blood is made not the only nor the principall but an accessary and helping cause of remission of sinnes eternall saluation and will not doubt to tell him all such hypocrites as he is that neither see feele tast nor know the mystery of Christes redemption or any thing that ishueth vnto vs thereof which mingle merites of men by what colour or conueiance of wordes what so euer with the infinite and onely cause of our saluation the meere mercy of god And whereas he biddeth vs come into his Church we say to all them that are curable among them as the spirite of God hath taught vs come out of her my people come out of her lest ye be partakers of her plages and torments But nowe at the last he returneth to his matter of mercy affirming that after mens departure the representation of almes by such as receiued it shall moue God exceedingly to mercy O vaine imagination for which he hath neither Scripture nor doctor for neither the example of Peter and the saying of Cyprian helpeth him one iote because there is not the like comparison betwene man and God nor betwene deliuerance from hel which is certayne purgatory which is the controuersie 2 If thou yet chaunce to be negligent in the working of thine owne saluation when thou art in strength and helth when ouer much carefulnesse of worldly welth hindereth the remembraunce of thy duety towardes God for all that helpe thy selfe at the least in thy latter ende for though it had bene much better before yet it is not euill nowe I speake not for priestes aduauntage God is my iudge I am not of that roome my selfe and will not condemne my soule for other But I speake for pity of the deceiued people for compassion of the soules that lacke the reliefe of so soueraigne a remedy for mine owne helpe and those that I so dearly loue against the day of our accompt I speake it because I beleue it and I beleue it because I finde it practised of those men and in those dayes when true christianitie was yet feruent in Christes bloude when the faith was vndefiled and when workes and faith ranne together in the rase of mans life ioyntly without contention Then floorished this doctrine and thou shalt haue further tast of their vsage for mine owne discharge we can not occupy our penne better S. Chrysostome thus instructed his flocke in this case Si adhuc in hac vita constitutus omnia quibus animae tuae prodesse poteras bene dispensare neglexisti vel ad calcem vitae tuae tuis mandasti vt tua tibi ipsi submittendo erogent bonisque operibus te adiuuent eleemosinis dico oblationibus etiam hac ratione saluatorem conciliaueris scribe in tabulis cum filijs cognatisque tuis haeredem nomina dominum Nulli autem viuentium propterea occasionem damus ne faciat eleemosinas differendo vsque ad mortem If thou in thine owne time was ouer negligent in disposing thy goods for the proffit of thy soule and yet at the very ende doest at the last charge thy frendes or executors that they will employ thy proper goods for the reliefe of thy selfe and so helpe thee with good workes that is to saye with almes and oblation euen that way there is great hope thou maiest procure Gods fauour write in thy will that our Lorde may be named a fellowe heire with thy children and kinnesfolkes Neuerthelesse let no man take occasion hereby to be slacke in his life time or to differe his almes charitie till deathes approching This was the preaching of that doctours dayes this proceeded out of his golden mouth and this sounded out of euery pulpit And surely if you knew his life and qualities you woulde not take him to be the priestes proctor of whose dignity as he wrote much so where he founde any vicious he punished sore But he was a true proctor of our soules Chrysostome was no crauer perdye nor Christ neither though they warne vs to make frâ—ndes by Mammon for our owne saluation They aske not much they thrust out no inheretours it was but a mite that wanne the poore widowe that prayse a cuppe of cold water where more abilitie wanteth shall winne heauen at th end This then is the benefite of almes giuen in the time of mans life or otherwise by his appointment of his owne goodes after his departure both which procure mercie as well by the deede it selfe as by the prayers of those to whome that charity apperteined 2 This matter standeth vpon chaunce medly for if thou chaunce sayth he to be negligent c. and more rightly then he termeth the buriall of Geneua it may be called a matter of mumchaunce for he beginneth with a chaunce but he hath neuer a title of scripture nor any sufficient authority of a doctor to proue that almes bequeathed in a mans testament helpeth him out of purgatory And yet as though he had some greate speake to make he protesteth that he speaketh not for priestes aduantage because he is not of that roome him selfe c. but hereby you maye see what he counteth almes cheefely that which is geuen vnto priestes or else what needeth he to make any such protestation But he speaketh it because he beleueth it he would fayne counter fect his speach like the Apostle but an ape will be an ape although he be clothed in purple For the grounde of his belefe is not as the Apostles was the worde of God Rom. 10. but the practise of men which though they were neuer so good yet they were such as might deceiue and be deceiued But to the matter the florish of this doctrine was so great in those times which he commeÌ„deth to be so happy that he can not finde one man that speaketh of it but he is fayne to cite out of Damascene that which Chrysostome shoulde saye Which wordes proue no more but that almes is better geuen at the last then not at all of deliuerance from purgatory neuer a worde There is one word oblationibus which perhaps M. Allen would draw to masses for he translateth it oblation in the singular number which in the Latine is the plurall numbre His fetch is easy to finde the Masse though it be sayed neuer so often yet is it called of them but one oblation But I inferre vppon his owne conscience Chrysostomes
they gaue almes But next followeth a worthy authoritie of Clement the Apostles owne scholer and he forsooth in his Epistle to Iames the brother of our Lord commendeth obites prayer and almes for the dead But why doe ye not M. Allen rehearse his owne wordes as they are written in his Epistle belike you are ashamed of his lousie latine and thinke that all wise men would say you are madde if you beleue that Clemens which liued in the Apostles time could write no better stile thē the cobling counterfecter of those epistles For shame away with such a durty doctor as writeth to S. Iames to see there be no mise tordes murium stercora among the fragments of the Lordes portion c. Epist. 2. He was a beastly asse that writ such nasty stuffe and thought to make the world beleue that such a godly and learned father as Clemens was would write so foolishly so barbarously so filthily so malapertly of such bables as were not inuented 600 yeares after to so holy and excellent an Apostle as S. Iames was but the olde prouerbe must alwayes be true Draffe is good enough for swine But to put all out of doubt the example of Iobes sacrifice and almes which were auailable for his children and friendes sheweth that the almes of men aliue profite them that be deade In deede I reade in the booke of Iobes sacrifice and prayer but I reade not of almes giuen to merite for those that were liuing much lesse for those that were deade I doubt not but Iob gaue almes liberally when tyme occasion serued But I say those places are vnfitly of M. Allen alleged to shew the force of almes where no worde of almes is spoken Howebeit he sheweth his reason afterward why he allegeth this example of Iob because Chrysostome applyeth it to the same purpose I deny not but that Chrysostome doth as substantially alleage this example for prayers to profitte the deade as he doth the saying of God that he will protect the cittie for Dauid his seruaunts sake what shall we say Those good men in that declining state of the Church to superstition being destitute of the cleere testimonies of scripture to maintaine these plausible errors are driuen to such simple shiftes to vpholde them as it is great pitty to see It seemed to Chrysostome the best waye to staye the people from immoderate mourning but he might haue vsed a better way if he had comforted them as the Apostle teacheth 1. Thess. 4. 1. Cor. 5. Otherwise when he iudged vprightly and according to the scripture his wordes sounde cleane contrary to the opinion of purgatory and workes of other men to be meritorious for the deade as in the very next Homilie being the 42. 1. Cor. Quapropter oro obsecro vos adeoque ad genua supplex procumbo c. The wordes are long therefore I will rehearse them in English and let M. Allen finde fault with my translation if he can wherefore I praye and besech you yea and I fall downe as an humble suter to your knees while neuer so small a portion of your life remaineth be ruled by my sayinges be ye conuerted be ye amended into better lest like vnto that richman when we are gone hense we pouer forth teares which shall nothing profit there and lament in vaine for whether thou hast a father or a sonne or a freind or any other whome so euer that putteth his trust in the Lorde none of these shall deliuer thee being accused of thine owne workes For such iudgement is exercised there euery man is iudged of his owne deedes neither is any man otherwise saued there And these thinges I warne you of not as he that woulde make you sadde or bring you into desperation but that being fedde with vaine and vnprofitable hopes trusting in this man or that man we shoulde not neglect our owne vertue for if we be slothfull and doe slacke the matter neither any iust man nor Prophet nor Apostle shall helpe vs but if we be diligent hauing helpe enough of our owne workes we shall departe hense with great confidence and enioye those good thinges that are layed vp for them that loue the Lord which that we may all enioye let it be so through the grace and mercy of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Compare these wordes with the former and marke here not onely the sounde of his wordes but the weight of his reasons where as in all other places that he holdeth the contrary the wordes only fauoreth your cause his reasons are either feeble or none at all 4 But that I may serue not onely the turne of trueth but with plainnesse also instruct the vnlearned and with store satisfie the godly greedinesse of some that list see more for the comforte of their conscience I will report one notable place for the declaration of charities force euen towardes the deceased out of Gregory Nissen of the Greeke church and an other out of Athanasius the greate both directly touching the practise of good Tobie in compassion of the deade Thus sayth Gregory Dicitur bene quòd si qui hinc non praemissis bonis migrauerint postea à familiaribus neglecta oblatis reliquijs sarciantur imputari opus perinde ac ab eis factum fuerit est enim haec volūtas benignissimi Domini vt creaturae quae ad salutem petuntur sic petantur distribuantur vt exoretur non solum quando quis pro salute propria est anxius sed quando pro proximo aliquid operatur in english It is very well saide that if any depart this life his goods by alme◠being not sent to God before him and yet afterwarde the matter by his freindes in the offering vp the residue be amended that his freindes fact shall stande and be reputed as his owne worke For so hath God of his mercy ordeined that his creatures by vse whereof life and saluation may be obteined shoulde so be procured and in this ordre disposed that man shoulde not onely obteine his request in the carefull study of his owne saluation but also when he wellworketh for his frende or neighbour Here may we well perceiue that all the wayes of our Lorde be mercy and trueth And that he in a maner releeueth of his owne accorde our miseries both here and in the next life that there may be no damnation to such as be in Christ Iesus for whose sakes he turneth these base creatures of mans seruice in this life to the vse of his pardon and saluation in the life to come he accepteth the good will and trauell of other for the helpe of them which can not relieue them selues And which is the property of a most mercyfull father where he loueth he will raise the hearte of some good intercessor that by patronage and prayers of some lust Iob his fury may cease by his owne procurement But howe this mutuall worke of mercye is currant through the
reasonable cleere light for the good simple peoples instruction and with full safety from all the force our aduersaries can make against vs The Patriarches example the wordes of scripture the practise of the Church the naturall society betwixt the partes of Christes misticall body in this worlde and his members in the next and all our fathers faith haue wonne so much that almes and offeringes in sundry memorialls and diuers obseruations of mindes and obittes be singular and soueraigne to procure Gods mercy for the pardon of the soules deceased And nowe lest any man take occasion of Gods mercy which he seeth to be so ready that it may be wone by other mens workes to liue in contempt of vertuous exercise and to passe the time of his owne life in carelesse negligence presuming to purchesse fauour at Gods hande so mercyfull by other mens merites with out his owne deede or deserte let that man be aduertised quòd non habet partem in sermone isto that he shall in that case haue no benefite by our talke the mercy which we speake of perteineth not vnto him such idle drone beyes can take no fructe of other mens labours neither quicke nor deade For that membre which in this body was so vnprofitable to him self it is no right nor reason he should haue any gaynes by other mens trauell Therefore all these liberall promisies of fauour and grace to be procured by the workes of the liue towardes the departed reach neither to the vnfaithfull out of this house nor to the impenitent who was but an vnprofitable burden of the house These thinges sayth Clement we meane of the godly for if thou gaue all the welth of the world to the poore for the wicked sake thou couldest not profite them a heare For he that dyed in Gods displeasure can not looke for more mercy then he deserued Therefore S. Iohn the Apostle seemeth to abbridge our prayers and the obteining of our petitions by borderinge them as with in certaines bondes after this sort VVe know that God doth here vs what so euer we require we be sure he will accomplish our requestes which we make vnto him Therefore he that knoweth his brother to sinne being not a sinne to death let him pray and life shall be geuen to him that sinneth not to death there is a sinne to death for such I do not will any man to praie This place of the Apostle seemeth to declare the wonderfull force that the prayers of the faithfull haue in procuring grace and remission for others so that they be â—rethern and passe hense with out the bonde of mortall sinne And the letter well weyed shall make exceding much to proue the prayers for departed in piety as it in a maner forbiddeth all intercession for such as be knowen to passe in continuance of mortall sinne There is no crime so greuous that man may commit in the course of this life but the Church vseth prayers customably therefore and for her reuerence is often hearde Therefore it may well be thought that the party must be deceased of whome such diuersity of desertes doth arise for all that be a liue with out exception if they be brethern of our familie must be prayde for And so longe as they be in this worlde and may repent their sinne is not so vnto death but life by prayers may be and is commonly at Gods hande obâ—eined Then it may well be deduced that the Aposâ—le meaneth to incourage the faithfull to pray for such their brethren departed as dyed without bonde of deadly sinne to their sight in a maner warning them that for such their prayers shall be acceptably hearde But for others continuing in sinne to death he willeth not them to praye nor can assure them they shall be hearde So doth Dionysius a man not very auncient but of a full spirite and good grace expounde this text VVhether he meaneth sayth this father by finall impenitence or by any mortall sinne continued vnto death it is sure plaine a man must not praye for him that dieth in it Then if we be admonished not to pray for one sorte of departed the case is cleare that we may and are bounde and shall be hearde for the other sorte that sinneth not vnto death CAP. VII 1 HItherto but that you loue to tell your chickens before they be hatched you neede not greatly to boast of your winnings But now you will shewe that prayer and almes helpeth not them that dye in mortall sinne and that beside your Clement with whose cloutes you cloy your booke you woulde fayne proue out of the Epistle of S. Iohn cap. 5. For that which S. Iohn speaketh of the prayers that Christian men make for their brethren aliue whom they see to sinne but not vnto death you would take if you could for prayers to be made for them that are deade but passed not hence in deadly sin â–ª that which he sayth of prayers not to be made for them that sinne not vnto death you weene he ment of them that are known to passe hence in continuance of sinne But you that dare not presume to make any interpretation without authoritie of the olde Martyrs when all commeth to all haue none to father your new exposition vppon but Denys the charterhouse Monke a yesterdayes bird But seeing you are not onely voyd of all auncient authoritie but also haue all the olde writers against you that euer interpreted or alleged this place let vs see what is your reason Forsooth the letter well weighed maketh much for you by the way it may be noted that you call the word of God the letter in that sense that S. Paule sayth the letter killeth but I omitte that grosse contumely against the holy Scriptures where S. Paule sayth the letter killeth he meaneth not that the holy Scriptures killeth in which is contemed life but that the law which onely commaundeth and giueth no power to fulfill it pronounceth sentence of death to them that breake it But to follow your reason There is no crime so greeuous that man may commit in this life but the Church prayeth for it is often heard therfore it may be thought that the party must be deceased of whom such diuersitie of deserts doth arise I deny your antecedent For the church of Christ prayeth not for them that sinne against the holy Ghost our Sauiour Christ affirmeth that he which sinneth against the holy Ghost shall neuer be forgiuen who so euer pray for him and of such sayth S. Iohn that there is a sinne vnto death for which we ought not to pray Samuell was not heard when he prayed for Saule 1. Sam. 16. Ieremy is oftentimes forbidden to pray for the obstinate Iewes Iere. 7.11 14. And the Lord testifieth that if Noach Daniell and Iob prayed for the wicked they should not be heard Ezec. 14. Therefore there be sinnes for which the Church ought not to pray and though she
diuines some affirming that he was deliuered out of Hell in deede some that he remaineth still in Hell but not in the tormâ—nts of Hell in which opinion is Mathew monke of Westminster in his Flores historiarum Anno gratiae 605. How shall we beleue the booke of Conformities of S. Frances who is there reported to haue deliuered not one but many soules out of Hell. If these be fables and lies M. Allen they be forged in your owne shop wheras purgatory all such other rotten postes and pillers of your Church were receiued If these be true that be set forth with so great authoritie then were not you well aduised to publishe such principles as be proued false by your owne patrons proctors 3 Therefore let no man withdrawe his almes charity or prayers from any of the houshoulde of faith vpon any light presumption yea or strong coniecture of any mans finall continuance in sinne or wickednesse vpon whome in the last spirite of breath as God maye haue mercy so mans prayers then shall be both needefull and exceding beneficiall vnto him Onely with conscience thou may and must cease with Gods Church to practise the wayes of mercy vppon such as be not baptised or otherwise after their baptisme haue by leauing this holy communion of the faithfull iudged them selues vnworthy and made their case vnapte by continuance therein to receiue any benefite either of the Church which of their owne accorde they haue forsaken or of any membre thereof wherevnto by faith and loue they are not ioyned And so all heretikes shall be voide of this mercy and grace after their death which did in their life so earnestly abhorre the same Vpon all other where any hope may be had if thou pray or procure the meanes of mercy it shall at least be to thy selfe a singular helpe and gayne though the partie for whome thou doest it either neede it not being already receiued into blesse or els in perpetuall damnation of Hell be helples for euer Si preces pro mortuis facimus sayth S. Chrysostome si elecmosinas damus etsi ille indignus sit nobis Deus placatior erit If we pray for the deade and bestowe almes for their sakes if he be founde vnworthy yet God will the rather be mercyfull to our selues And sure it is that who so euer be founde so gracious as with much compassion of the deceaseds misery to procure with study and care Gods mercyfull pardon towardes them that such a one especially shall finde grace and fauour at the time of neede and be meruailous apt to receiue benefit by others procurement againe For as it is certaine that no man can receiue benefite after his departure by any worke or will of the liuing sauing such as in their life deserued the same so must it needes be that where these remedies be needefull and profitable that yet more or lesse they shall worke vpon the party for his reliefe according to the more or lesse deuotion and deseruing in this life Therefore this trueth of mutuall participation of the deade with the liue geueth no man occasion of idle rest or carelesse affection in his owne time and cause when he may be assured to lacke the reliefe of others to whome in his liefe by well working he woulde not ioyne before But I had rather ye hearde S. Augustine vttering expressely this meaning of mine in his owne wordes It can not be denied sayth he but that the soules of the deceased be relieued when the sacrifice of our redemer is offered for them or almes bestowed in their behalfe in the Church But in deede these are profitable to none but to such as in their life deserued that those things after their departure might doe them good For there is a state of life that is neither so perfect but it may well haue neede of these helpes after death not yet so very euill but such thinges may well succour them after their departure Mary there is a kinde of conuersation so vertuous that it requireth no such ayed and an other kinde so wicked that those which passed their former life therein can haue after their passage no reliefe by such meanes for by our merites in this life we do obteine that after our deaths we may either atteine to remedy or els be voide of all helpes For it is a very vaine hope that any man should presume to winne that at Gods hand after he be passed out of this worlde which when he was in the worlde he neuer sought nor deserued And a litle after thus he maketh all plaine VVhen the sacrifice of the altar or els any kinde of almes be offered for all men departed being baptised for the very good they are thankes giuing for the indifferent that be not very euill they are a mercyfull deliueraunce For the wicked and very euill all though they be no succour for them which be departed and deade yet they are confortable for those that be aliue And to such as receiue benefite thereby either commeth full forgiuenesse or els their iudgement and damnation is made thereby somewhat more tolerable The which sentence almost in like wordes for that it merueillously opened this matter this author repeteth in the fourth question ad DulcitiuÌ„ and els very often VVhereby the faithfull man may learne both how much and whome these remedies do relieue And then that the Church in his dayes offered sacrifice for all those that were baptised and in the faith thereof departed both for that it was vncertaine who had neede thereof and also because euen then when the parties were not nor coulde not be partakers thereof that Gods glory notwithstanding was excedingly set forth and man comforted thereby Therefore Gods Church in a true sense may be saide to offer sacrifice euen for the holy and blessed martyrs who no doubt by sheeding of their bloude for Christes name and defense of vnitie be fully purged in this their death and so perfectly released of all sinne paine that might otherwise haue deserued punishment and some expectation of Gods mercy in the life to come For so S. Cyprian and other of his Church offered sacrifice for Celerne Laurence and Ignatius as he testifieth him selfe Sacrificia pro eis semper vt meministis offerimus quoties martyrum passiones dies anniuersaria coÌ„memoratione celebramus For them we offer sacrifice as often as we celebrate the yearly memories of martyrs For which kinde of perfect men sacrifice is thankes geuing vnto God for their glory and giftes of grace and a kinde of intercession to them in our necessities For which cause S. Augustine affirmeth Quòd pro martyribus non oramus fed ipsi oranâ— pro nobis VVe pray not for martyrs but they pray for vs Nowe the sacrifice often celebrated for the wicked also that be not knowen to the Church so to be is not beneficiall to them neither because their naughty life and death makes them
wantonnesse in all their ordre of life for they are so dronken and drowned in heresie that they haue no sense of common reason VVhat a do had the magistrates to make these wylde men go in priestelike apparell to kepe their Rotchettes to obserue some steppe of antiquitie in their maners How they were driuen to tempre their lustes in prouision for some ordrely choise of their wiues that seeing them haue no respecte on what women they light that by Iustices of peace yet they might be bestowed if not well yet with their lesse dishonestie vpon persons not openly infamous Such fellowes are more fit to be gouerned then to beare rule ouer other in whome without constraint you shall neither finde comelynesse in maners ordre in life nor constancy in religion God of his mercye geue them some light to see their owne misery and spirite of humilitie to subiect them selues in time to Gods Church that is so carefull ouer them though to their owne great harme they so deadly hate her They can showe no cause in the world why they neede in any one pointe of all those which at this daye be in controuersie betwxit them and their owne mother rather to credit their owne phantasies then her graue authoritye which onely without farther questioning with obedieÌ„t children maketh more then all argument or eloquence of man in the earth 7 If the ciuill Magistrates haue thought good in some outward ceremony or vsage to beare with the infirmitie of the weaker sort of your side in hope to winne them it is a small matter for you that are the obstinate of that secte to triumphe vpon when all your blasphemous doctrine is abolished and nothing left but a fewe ragges of your robes to looke vpon And as for the iniunction for Priestes mariage was either to stoppe your slaunderous mouthes when godly ministers wiues should haue testimoy of their honestie by men of such credit or else to bridle the lust of your owne tounebulls the popish Priestes which when licence of whordom is denied them and liberty to marry permitted them would make no better choyse perhaps of their wiues then they did before of their women We can shew no cause in the world you say why we neede in any one poynt of controuersie depart from your Church yes M. Allen this one cause shal serue for all because your church is departed from the truth of Gods word and dare not abide the tryall thereof but will sitte like a proud dame in a chayre controll the Scriptures the ordinance of Christ and the commaundements of God him selfe But how so euer you boast of her fast sitting she shall downe she shall downe euen to the bottome of hell 8 And for such as maye for their simplicitie be soone deceiued by following other mens errors with whome the names of doctors or the onely bare bragge of scriptures are as good as the allegation of places Let them aske of their teachers howe they can shifte them selfe when they see the practise of Gods Church generally so plaine for all Catholike assertions as for the article of praying for the deade amongest many other the like is nowe before proued Call vpon them and aske them in earnest because it lyeth vpon thy saluation whether thou must giue any credit to the perpetuall agreement and consent of all auncient doctors If they saye yea desire them to aunswere first to all these places so euidently confirming our purpose that they can not abide any cloude or couer of mans sutteltye for their shifting to any forged sense If they can not yet let them alleage some place of any auncient writer them selues which do expressely denye purgatory or prayers for the deade as we for the confirming therof haue done in plaine termes with out crafte or colour many If they be not able to do so much yet go further with them aske them whether they haue any expresse wordes in scripture that denie prayers to be profitable for the deade not by a fonde gesse of their owne heades corrupt consciences or preiudicate mindes expounded to that purpose but I say by expresse words or at least which is liberty enough expounded for that meaning by any one man of all the antiquitie If they can alleage thee but one worde of scripture construed of any one I say in all ages to confirme their vnderstanding to be currant and not framed for their phantasie to serue the necessity of their cause be bolde to followe them I woulde not put them to the paines to make discourse throughout all ages churches times and doctors as we haue done but onely let them to kepe their credit and scholars and to saue their honesties bring but one or two of all that euer wrote in the compasse of Gods Church and thou maiest with lesse daunger and better reason follow their doctrine But there is no one such place I assure the good reader neither in scripture doctor nor councell nor countrie nor age sith the worlde beganne I will go so farre in this point where there was euer steppe of any true worship of God there was prayer founde for the dead also They can not shew me any forme of ministration in the Christian world that was approued which hath it not expressely if it be knowen that it was in deede the seruice of any auncient Church not corrupted by them selues The same I dare be bolde to auouch for the lawe of nature and Moyses because it is proued already All their bragging of the example of the primitiue Church the masses of other countries of the doctors of the scriptures of the councells is but an vntollerable delusion and abuse of the simplicity of such as be not skillfull in the authors whome they name For when the matter comes to an ishue when they be harde holden either in this or in any other matter theÌ„ the doctors whom they chalenged before the simple for their partakers were but men then they might erre then they haue learned onely to credit the holy Scriptures then there is nothing but Gods worde and booke with them which els full faine would haue the doctors consent out of whom it were but a meane place which they would not alleage for their purpose if it might be founde Then if deniall of all the doctors iudgements serue not their turne In accusationem ipsarum scâ—ipturarum conuertuntur they will not sticke boldely to condemne the holy Scriptures with all 8 Now the youngers must pose their maisters as M. Allen a passing good Logician doth teach them yea and that is more he will teach vs what to aunswere also but sauing his wisedome he must geue vs leaue to aunswere for our selues First if we be asked howe we can shifte our selues against the generall practise of Gods Church for all popish assertions and namely this of praying for the deade we aunswere that we deny the practise to be generall because we finde it not in the holy
Protestant is posed Lib. 8. constit 49. 1. Epist. ca. 5 The church maye praye for any sinner in this life vvith hope of mercy Carth. Lib. 21. Cap. 24. Bracarens Cap. 34. Vide Timo. Alexand. respons 14. Heretikes not to be praide for after their death Homil 21. in Cap. 9. Actuum VVho be most apte to receiue benefite by the prayers of the liuing Enchir. cap. 110. Lib. 4. epist. 5. Tractat 84. in IoanneÌ„ Hovv prayer vvhich taketh no effect in the departed is profitable to the procurer Act. 5. 1. ad Tim. 1. 1. Cor. 5. Concilium AphricanuÌ„ Epist. 9. The heretikes called vpon to aunsvvere The vvhole matter ordered to our handes The common names of honour geueÌ„ to the holy Masse in old time S. lib. epist. 33. epist. praecat prima praeparante ad Missam b super vndec prouer c Histor. tripartit 24. d cap. li. 10. d The force and institution of the holy Masse The nevve communion is here described Heresie vvith her disordered ministers shal not out face Gods church and Christes eternall priesthood Psal. 100. Mat. 16. The holy Masse taken avvaye for our sinnes Men that vvere greuous offenders in olde time punished by lacke of the sacrifice De Coena domini Ita Policarp ex Iren. Victor de persecut Vandal Eccles. ca. 7. Epist. 8. li. 2. Homil. 3. in EpistolaÌ„ ad Philipp Theodor â–ª dial 2. Aug. super psal 98. Dionis ecclesiast hierarch cap. 3. Basil. de spiritu Sanct. cap. 17. Lib. 3. de Trin. c. 10. Lib. 20. contra Faustum cap. 13. Lib. 10. Histo trip ca. 18 20. Theodosius Iun. 12. Lib. tripartit ca. 2. Euseb. in vita Constantini 2 Orat. in Iulian. In 2. Cap. ad Heb. hom 4. Hierom. Epitap Paulae De cura pro mortuis agenda De ciuit 1. Lib. c. 12. 13. Cap. 18. de cura pro mort The sainctes pray for the soules in purgatory vve pray vnto saictes for them Cap. 4. de cura pro mort Super 11. cap. Prouer. Masse alvvaye saide for the departed Ambros. epist. 8. l. 2. If the nevv byshoppes vvere like S. Ambros. their teaching vvold not be contrary to his Super obit Theodosij Imperatoris Super obitu Valentiniani In oratione funebr super Satyr In Epist. 1. ad Amandum Epist. 3. Ex lib. 9. Confess ca. 11.13 vlt. Note the vvhole History and feare not to follovv it The cursed Cham hath many children in our dayes Cap. 13. lib. 9. vltimo M Grindall looke in your grammer vvhat figure S. Augustin vsed heâ—â— Possidonius in vita August Beda lib. 1. cap. 31. Lib. 4. hist. cap. 21. That faith is the true faith into vvhich our nation vvas first coÌ„uerted from infidelity Note and take heede betÃme If praying for the dead vvere takeÌ„ avvay ther should no steppe of religion remayne All our superintendents are deepely daily periured A harde questioÌ„ proposed to the Protestant Super Aggaeum So sayth S. Augustine ofteÌ„ against the Pelagians De cura pro mort Constitut. l. 8. cap. 47. Eccles. hierarch c. 17. In homil contra Sabellian Athan ad Epitectum Ita Suidas testatur Origen Athan Damascen Nicenum 2. Epist. 9. li. 1. De cura pro mortuis alibi saepe Lyturgia Chrysosto Lyturgia Basilia Vniuersalis Canon Lyturgia ArmenioruÌ„ In prima prece praeparatoria ad missam A notable solemne prayer of S. Ambroâ—e for the soules departed De Ecclesi officijs lib. 1. Cap. 15. Lib. 2. cap. 3. Contra epistolaÌ„ Parmeniani Epist. 107. contra Vital I gesse it vvas M. Pilkinton of Duresme De prescri aduers. haereti Epist. 165. Lib. 3. cap. 3 Note De simplicit praelatorum By heretiks preaching many are become Catholikes Our Masse is all one vvith the Masses of aâ—l other cuntries and tymes Against the Chester maÌ„ Looke the Iniunction for the mariage of Priestes other thiÌ„gs The youngers must thus pose their maisters Irenaeus Lib. 3. cap. 2 In confessione VVittember In Apologia Instit. de Coena Epistol ad Ianuar. de Baptis contra Donatist lib. 4. cap. 24. Sermone 2. de ieiunio A sure vvay to try the beginning of any doctrine Note De corona militis Ser. 22. de ver Apost Hostia incruenta The Apostles be the orderers of our sacrifice Psalm 49. The ende of schisme Quâ—st 34. ad Antioch Ibidem The rule of trueth Heretikes do against their ovvne consciences Note Note the gile of an heretike Note Psal. 36. Lib. 2. contra Iulian. Lib. 2. contra Iulian. The high vvaye of trueth The by vvay of heresy Math. 13. Tertul. de praescript Our Protestantes be inspired by Damascens iudgement Of the author of this nevv sectâ— Lib. 3. cap. 4. The trial of false preachers A generall rule to knovve heresie by Cap. 75. li. 3. In Anacephal Arius Aërius In lib. de haeres ad Quod vult One that hath forsaken the Church is indifferent to vvhat heresie you vvill And therefore they call their doinges Proceding Prouer. 18. Vbi sup 13. Note vvell Damascen in oratione pro defunctis de haeres Note vvell hovv this falshood euer ioyneth it selfe to other horrible sectes Sermone 66. super cantic I trovve no Protestant caÌ„ ansvvere vvith reason to thiâ— point Here this sect ioyneth vvith the sacrameÌ„tariés and the rest of miscreaunts Marke vvel Vide Hiero nimuÌ„ sup 3. ad Galatas Ioan. 9. Cap. 79. Cap. 34. Cap. 2. Note In initio Concilij Florentini The holy Councel of Trente hath also determined the same against the heretikes of our times All heretikes do coÌ„demne couÌ„cels The humble obedience of Catholikes to the gouernours of Gods Church Ruffin Hovve they practise vvith the simple Greâ—â— impudeÌ„cy in heretikes The sophistry of heretikes Here lyeth the doubt and diuersitie betvvixt heretikes Catholikes Cap. 1. Cap. 7. Cap. 5. Cap. 14. Phisic 1. l. An ansvver to the first place Esay 38. Bern. ser. 4. de fest omniuÌ„ Sanct. Amb. super 5. ad Romanos Caluins absurd doctrine is refuted The state of such in the next vvorld as by Gods omnipoteÌ„tie vvere raised to life againe An ansvver to the secoÌ„d text An ansvver to the third argument CX An ansvver to the laste scripture Cap. 9. lib. 20. de ciuit Isay. 57. Their nevv no faith is vpholden by a negatiue argument A ProtestaÌ„ts Crede Like faith like argument M. Grindall in his funerall sermon Note One sacrifice for the liue and the deade Lib. 2. de Orig. Animae Cap. 11. The coÌ„clusion of the vvhole boke vvith an admonition to the reader Math. 24. Gene. 28. Cantic 4. THE ARGVMENTES OF euery Chapter of both the Bookes Of the first Booke THe Preface vvhere in be noted tvvo sortes of heretikes the one pretending vertue the other openly professing vice And that our time is more troubled by this second sorte VVith a briefe note of the Authors principall intent in this Treatise Pref. argu pag. 10. chapter 1 That often after our sinnes be forgiuen by the sacrament of